Fight or Flight
by TDCSI
Summary: Grissoms case becomes a handful, and he's forced to make some big decisions. Then life gets in the way. GSR Now Complete
1. Chapter 1

Fight or Flight

Chapter 1

Disclaimer: CSI is not mine.

Rating: T

Summary: Grissom life gets mixed up by a murder suspect and he's forced to make several life changing decisions. GSR

As he approached the house, a middle aged man sat on the front porch being guarded by officers. He wore expensive looking clothes that were covered in blood. The man stared back at Grissom and smirked. Intrigued, Grissom just pursed his lips and continued up the steps.

"Even if you can prove I did it, I'm not going to jail and your life will be miserable from that point on."

Grissom stopped and turned to the man. "If you did it, I will prove it and you will go to jail. If your innocent, I will prove it." He turned to enter the house.

He was the only one available at this short of notice. Everyone else was busy and the scene was out of the way for any of them. When he walked through the house, he noticed all of the expensive decor. Paintings that appeared to be originals hung on every wall, and several pieces of the furniture were antiques.

"Ok, the vic's name is Jane Mason, 30years old, husband is Rick Mason, he's on the porch. The 911 was called in by a neighbor, apparently not the cops first visit. Every month officers are called out by the neighbors. Domestic disturbance every time, but she never pressed charges. I guess she was too scared."

"And this time he took it to the next level."

The woman's body was beaten severely. Traces of blood went from room to room as she struggled to get away from her attacker. Grissom processed the inside and proceeded to process the husband. Brass brought him in and sat him in a chair as Grissom took samples. Rick just continued to smirk. At times he even let out a giggle or two. Finding nothing funny about any of this Grissom spoke up.

"I guess I'm not seeing the humor in this. Your wife is dead. And you're a suspect."

"She deserved it. The bitch would never listen. All she did was sit out by the pool, order dumb expensive shit online, and complain about the climate. And if you had any idea with whom you are dealing with, you might be laughing too."

"And why's that?"

Just at that very moment several men in suits entered through the front door.

"Stop what you are doing right now."

"Identify yourselves." Brass said sternly.

"I'm Captain Jake Taylor and this is Lt. Tom Holmes, we're from the U.S. Marshals office. Rick here is in witness protection until he testifies."

Grissom and Brass couldn't believe it.

"Well, I don't care. He killed his wife, I'm going to prove it, then he can testify for what ever while he's in prison."

"I'm sorry it doesn't work like that. Rick we'll get you some clean clothes then you will have to come with us for a while. The trial starts in three days and we will need to move you now."

"Just who is he testifying against." Brass was pissed off about the whole situation unfolding before them.

"That's classified. Mr. Lucarelli, we need to go."

Rick smiled and held out his bound hands. Brass never made an attempt to remove the cuffs.

"Mr. Brass, remove the cuffs please."

Brass sighed and took off the hand cuffs. The agents escorted Rick upstairs leaving Grissom and Brass to helplessly watch.

Several hours later Grissom sat in his office joined by Brass. After the night they just had they needed a well deserved drink.

"How can they just let the guy walk for killing his wife just because he's in witness protection?"

"I don't know Gil. It's all a load of crap to me too."

The quiet knock was loud enough to get their attention, and as they looked towards the door the familiar pale faced brunette stood with her gapped tooth smile.

"I heard about your case. Sorry."

"There's nothing to be sorry for. Unfortunately there is nothing we can do. It's clear that he killed her, but because he's in the program, I can't arrest him." Grissom took another drink.

"I'm heading out, night Grissom. Good night Brass." She turned and walked down the hall. The four eyes watched her walk til she was out of sight.

"Damn Gil. That woman is head over heels for you and you just sit here and watch her leave day after day. What's wrong with you?"

"Don't start with me Jim. Catherine gives me this little speech several times a month about her. I don't need one from you also."

"Well if I was in your position I would have tapped that a long time ago." Clearly the alcohol was talking for Brass now.

Grissom looked across his desk at his intoxicated friend stunned. His mouth hung agape as he stared at Brass who smile a cheesy smile at him.

"I think we've had enough. Come on I'll drive you home."

They entered the parking lot and walked towards Grissoms Denali. Unlike Brass he knew he was still lucid enough to get them home. When they were about fifty feet from the truck it exploded into a fireball. The concussion from the blast knocked them both to the ground.

The two laid there as people began rushing out of the building to see what had happened. Catherine kneeled next to them.

"Hey, are you guys ok?"

"Did my truck just blow up?"

"Yes. Luckily you weren't in it."

Brass rolled over. Grissom looked at him and nodded.

"Face it Gil, the man's valuable enough to be in witness protection, his last name is Lucarelli, and did you hear his accent?"

"Yeah. He's from back east."

"I think you just fucked with the mob."


	2. Chapter 2

Brass and Grissom sat in the back of an ambulance out side of the lab. The fire department had put out the fire and was packing up when he arrived.

"Gil, what the hell is going on here?"

"My truck was blown up Ecklie. What does it look like. Oh, and we're fine by the way."

"Fine. When you get checked out I want to see you in my office."

The paramedics continued to treat Grissoms abrasions when Sara arrived.

"Grissom are you alright? I heard about an explosion over the scanner."

"Sara I'm fine."

"Yeah, and hopefully that's the last we'll hear from them." Brass blurted out.

"Them? Who's them?"

"Oh, earlier Gil pissed off some guy in witness protection. Turns out that he's connected with the mob."

Sara's mouth dropped open.

"I didn't piss off the mob."

"Well he threatened you when you threatened him. I would say you pissed off the wrong cat."

"Alright, enough with the mob crap."

"Grissom, at least be careful."

"I'm fine. And I will be fine. Now if you will excuse me I have to go see Ecklie."

He left leaving Sara and Jim with the paramedics.

After his intense conversation with Ecklie the only thing on Grissoms mind was food and sleep. He locked up his office and headed for the front door. Stepping out into the daylight he realized he didn't have a vehicle, and it would be several days before his new one would arrive. Right before we went to return inside to hit up Catherine for a ride Sara pulled up in front of him.

"Hey thought you might need a lift."

Just as he bent over to look into the passenger window a shot rang out. Grissom dropped to the ground. Sara crouched down in her car til she was sure that there would be no more shots. She crawled out the passenger door and saw officers with their guns drawn and pointing in several directions.

"Grissom, are you ok?"

"Yeah, I think."

"Your bleeding."

The dark red color growing on his shoulder gave it away. She applied pressure over the wound and phoned for paramedics.

"Hang on Grissom."

"Sara, I'm not going to die. It's a flesh wound."

"Yeah, well you will still need someone to take care of you."

"All clear. Send in the medics." an officer barked into his radio.

Ecklie came out to survey the damage as Grissom was loaded into the waiting ambulance. Sara climbed in beside him and the doors were shut before he could protest.

At the hospital Sara sat and watched as Grissom sat on the bed shirt less, while a nurse cleaned the wound. She couldn't take her eyes off of his bare chest. It was something that she had always dreamed about, how he would feel lying next to her under the covers. She was so into her little daydream that she never noticed the he was looking back at her.

He noticed that she was staring at him ever since he removed his shirt. The glazed over look in her eyes told him that she was deep in thought. He couldn't help but smile at her. In all his years working with her he never thought of himself to be attractive enough to get the attention of a woman of her beauty.

The doctors voice brought them both back to the present.

"Ok Mr. Grissom. I am going to give you some lidocaine around the wound then stitch you up, and you'll be good to go."

Sara winced when the doctor injected the area around the wound to numb the pain. Grissom watched every emotion that crossed her face as she let her guard down. He couldn't help but think that maybe Brass was right. She had true feelings for him, and it was about time he did something about it.

"Alright. All done. Keep your arm in this sling for several days, no heavy lifting. I'll give you a prescription for some pain killers. I suggest only taking them when you are really hurting, otherwise standard over the counter pain killers should suffice. And if you know someone who can stay with you for several days that would be best. No work for a week and you can remove the stitches in two. Are we clear?"

"Yeah." He responded never taking his eyes off of Sara.

She drove him back to his town house after they made a small pit stop at her apartment. She picked up some clothes and her toiletries, then did some grocery shopping. Grissom never objected to her actions.

When they pulled into his driveway the noticed an unmarked car parked across the street, and an officer was placed at the door. Sara unloaded the groceries and the officer helped with her bags. Grissom was confused.

"Why are you here?"

"The sheriff has assigned several units to guard you."

"I don't need any body guards."

"Grissom, what if they try again? I don't want to see you get hurt anymore."

She turned and walked to the door and opened it. Grissom and the officer followed. He noticed that she placed her bags in his bedroom. Again he didn't protest. He sat on the couch and tried to relax. Even though his arm was in a sling, he found it uncomfortable just to sit. Sara entered and noticed that he was uncomfortable.

"Are you in any pain? Do you want me to get your pills?"

With out his consent she rose and retrieved a bottle of water and the prescription bottle. She handed him the open bottle of water and shook out two pills. After he took the pills, she headed into the kitchen and made them some scrambled eggs and toast. Grissom watched in amazement. He had never relied on someone else in his adult life to take care of him. Now here she was, the woman of his dreams was here waiting on him hand and foot and he never once asked for the help.

They ate in silence on the couch while the discovery channel played a documentary on beatles in Africa. She cleaned up their dishes and put everything away, and when she returned to the living room Grissom was sound asleep on the couch. He looked so peaceful and innocent with his arm in the sling. She couldn't help but think of what his lips would taste like as she looked at his sleeping form. Smiling she quietly crouched down and leaned over him brining her face whispers away from his. She paused, as her brain shouted second thoughts.

"What are you waiting for?" Grissom whispered.

"Faker." She began to back way but his right arm held her in place.

"Go ahead. I know you want to." his eyes were shut the entire time.

She leaned in and pressed her lips to his. She just left it at that but when he moved to deepen the kiss, and she gladly accepted. He used his one good arm to pull her into his lap as she cupped his face with her hands. They continued kissing while Sara's hands roamed over his chest and began to undo the buttons on his shirt. When she reached his bare chest her hands had a mind of their own as they grazed over his bare skin. He moaned into her mouth at the heated touch of her hands as they were locked together by their mouths.

"Lets take this to the bed room, shall we?"

Sara smiled and helped him to his feet. When they reached the bed room she helped him out of his clothes. He wrapped his arms around her and laid her on the bed and he gently settled on top of her. They were both to aroused to worry about anything else except reaching their climaxes together.

He slowly made love to her and they slept under the sheets in each others arms.


	3. Chapter 3

The smell of coffee stirred in Grissoms nose as he began to wake. Sara was not in bed and he knew that she was up and fixing them something to eat. He tried to sit up but the pain in his left shoulder prevented it. Grissom tried several times to sit up and finally accomplished to get his legs swung over the edge of the bed and sit up holding his left arm tightly to his chest. The strong urge to use the bathroom pushed him through the pain as he stood and walked to the toilet. He stood at the sink and removed the bandage covering the wound. Looking in the mirror he studied the stitching.

Sara walked up behind him and offered him some coffee.

"Here."

"Thanks."

"Do you want to take a shower. It will help with the ache."

They climbed in to the shower, and she lathered his body with the body wash that she brought from her apartment. The sweet smell of vanilla steam filled the bathroom as she toweled him off. Sara helped him get dressed, and get his arm in the sling.

He walked into the kitchen and straight to the front door. Pausing to look at Sara he opened the door enough to see a man in a suit sitting in the chair right outside the door.

"Sara, I'm going to go into the lab tonight."

"No your not Grissom. Just wait until Brass gets all of this figured out."

"It's not a request, I'm telling you that I am going into the lab."

"I don't suppose I could talk you out of it hun?"

He just smiled and sat down on the couch and continued the previous days crossword.

With the extra protection assigned to him by the sheriff, it took them an extra thirty minutes to get to the lab. And when he walked through the halls to his office people were staring at him. Not because Sara was walking so close beside him, but the man not two steps behind them. Grissom and Sara entered his office and the man stopped and stood outside the door. Curious, Catherine went to enter but the man stopped her and said nothing. She pursed her lips and before she walked away Sara came out.

"Hey, Grissom wants to talk with every one in the break room in a few minutes. Want to help me gather everyone?"

"Sure." Catherine was still not sure what was going on but obviously Sara had an idea.

The speculations were flying in the break room. Hodges and Archie were placing a small wager on what the news was going to be. Warrick and Nick thought that Grissom was going to announce that he was going to take a vacation, while Sara and Catherine knew what had caused this unusual gathering.

They all stopped their chatter when they heard Grissom clear his voice as he entered with the suited man close behind him.

"First of all I don't want to alarm any of you thinking that something is seriously wrong because I called this meeting."

Greg raised his hand like a student wanting to ask a question without blurting it out.

"Greg."

"Who's that?" he said pointing at the man standing behind Grissom.

"I'll get to him in a little bit." He turned towards the door and watched Brass enter, and as he sat down he slid a file towards Grissom. "Thanks. Now as you all know a few days ago a man in witness protection murdered his wife. Now according to the U.S. Marshals service, he is their only witness to a major crime organization back east. So they are going to let him get away with killing his wife."

Everyone sat silent to let him finish. But their facial expressions said what they wanted to verbally.

"Well Jim thinks that because I told this man that I was going to put him away anyway, he has reached out to his connections and wants me dead for threatening him. According to this file it's true."

They all sat in shock.

"The FBI confirmed that the Lucarelli family has put out a contract on me. Now the information says they have hired a hitman to kill me. I know you are all thinking that I should lay low, leave, or do whatever I need to, to hide. Well other than Matt here, nothing is going to change. I'm going to come into work, however you won't see me in the field until this is taken care of. Don't try to convince me otherwise, cause I'm not going to listen. You all will go about business as usual, and I am going to try to take care of this little problem. Any questions?"

No one moved. They were so shocked. Grissoms life was in jeopardy and he was standing before them cool as a cucumber as if nothing was wrong. Brass stood and left without a word. Grissom watched him walk out of sight before following him.

"Jim. Jim wait."

Brass didn't stop until he reached his office.

"Jim would you listen to me for a second."

"What's there to hear Gil? It sounds like you have made up your mind and decided to just keep on going until this lunatic kills you."

"That's not what I am doing."

"Oh yeah. Sounds like it to me. I'm your friend, let me help you. And those people in that room are your friends too. Let them help you."

"Jim."

"Stop Gil. Just stop. Think about everyone else for a moment and stop being so damned stubborn."

They both sat down and no words were said for several minutes. Grissom rose and walked to the door.

"I'll think about it."

"That's all I ask."

He walked back towards his office. His mind going a thousand different directions as he thought about what he should do. When he saw her in his office with her head in her hands sobbing, he knew that he had to take evasive action.

"Sara?"

She looked up the tears evident in her eyes. He sat beside her and took her hand.

"Honey, would you feel better if I ran and hide, or stand and fight?"

"If you hid at least you would live. I don't know if I could live if you were killed. Then again I don't want to see you leave either. But I prefer you alive." Her tears began to fall again, and he held her in his arms until she calmed.

"Ok. I'll talk to the sheriff and arrange something."


	4. Chapter 4

He and Matt walked off the airplane. A first he wished Sara could be here with him, and he made himself a promise that when this was all over he would bring her here. It was not exactly the most popular vacation destination, but he knew that she would love it. He'd always wanted to take more time and explore the rainforest. If only it were under better circumstances. They checked into a small inn near the beach, and just a mile away laid the edge of the forest.

The rules laid out by the FBI were strict. He was not to make any contact with anyone back in Vegas, and most of all listen to the agents that accompanied him. Other than Matt who never left his side, several other agents were about, but he couldn't make them out from the other tourists.

The next morning he made his way into the rainforest to look at some species of butterflies that had only been discovered in the last few years. He spent hours in the forest taking in every little insect that crossed his path. Feeling like a kid in a candy store he forgot about his other problems in life that was the reason that he was here in the first place.

While walking back he suddenly couldn't help thinking about Sara. What she was doing. What she was wearing. If she was thinking about him like he was her.

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The alarm caused Sara to roll over and hit the snooze. Ever since Grissom had left she had been working as long as she could until Catherine chased her out of the lab. She had also found it easier to sleep in his bed since he left her the keys. Slowly things from her apartment made their way into his townhouse. She couldn't wait until he returned and took her in his strong arms and held her against him.

She followed the same routine as she had the last few weeks. It was beginning to wear on her. Everyday she stopped in front of his office, only to see the darkness look back. Proceeding to the break room a small box sat on the table addressed to her, and the others looked at her and waited for her reaction.

"Where did this come from?"

"I don't know? It's addressed to you and there is no return address."

Her curiosity got the best of her and she slowly opened the package. The rest of the group watched as their suspicions were confirmed. Sara smiled the biggest smile when she looked into the box and lifted the large Tiger Swallow Tail butterfly. It was framed in etched glass, and a note was stuck to the bottom.

'My dearest Sara,

I am sorry for having to leave without you knowing where I am. I miss you so much and will return to your arms as soon as I am able. I hope that this finds you well and I just want you know that I love you. I always have and always will.

Love, Grissom'

Tears filled her eyes as she read the note. No one said anything while she let her emotions flow. They knew the package was from Grissom when they saw the handwriting.

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He hoped that Sara had received the package that he sent. Knowing it was against the rules Matt had helped him get it sent with out it being able to be traced. In order for that to happen it would have taken several weeks to reach Vegas. He had been gone a total of 5 weeks and so far no word on eliminating the threat on his life.

That evening he and Matt made their way to the waters edge. Grissom stood in the crystal clear water and looked down the beach. Several locals were out along with some tourists. He swore that he recognized one of the women on walking along the beach. She continued minding her own business until they made eye contact.

"Dr. Grissom. Never expected to see you here."

"It truly is a small world isn't it."

"I suppose so. Do you have plans for tonight?"

"No."

"Would you like to have dinner with me? I know a great little restaurant in town."

"Terri, I would love too."

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

Shift was almost over and Sara kept getting a strange feeling that something was wrong. She was trying to process a car that was used in a drive by earlier that night, but this feeling had her attention diverted.

"Hey, your not done yet?"

Sara didn't respond but kept staring at the blank dash. Catherine knew that something has been bothering her lately. It obviously had to do with Grissom being away, but there was something else she couldn't quite put her finger on. She kneeled next to the open door, and Sara came out of her trance and looked at Catherine.

"Sara? Hey, shifts almost over. How about you and I go get something to eat and talk."

She nodded and proceeded to put away her tools and walked with Catherine to the locker room. After changing they headed to Catherine's house where she proceeded to make them breakfast. The smell of food cooking sent Sara rushing towards the bathroom. Catherine was hot on her heels. She sat on the edge of the tub rubbing Sara's back as she continued to dry heave. It was then Catherine's suspicions were confirmed. She knew that something very serious had happened between her friend and this woman, but she never thought of Gil as a man to just jump into bed with her. And with him being gone for such a long time she couldn't help but feel sorry for Sara. At least when she was pregnant with Lindsey she still had Eddie. Which wasn't saying much.

"Sara, I'm going to ask even though I don't have to, but are you pregnant?"

Sara just kept hovering over the cool porcelan. "I'm not positive but I think so."

Catherine signed. She was the only one who could help her at this time. It killed her knowing that Grissom had finally made his move, he was going to be a father, and he was in another part of the world.

"Sara, according to Jim, the FBI's almost got this mess cleaned up, then he will be home, and I'm sure he will be beyond excitement with this news. He loves you very much you know."

"This isn't the only strange feelings I've had lately. I just keep thinking that something is not right. Something with Gil is wrong."

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They enjoyed their meal at the small family run restaurant near the beach. The sound of the water making contact with land was very soothing, and it put Grissoms mind at ease.

"So, what brings you to this part of the world?"

"Well, I had a very disturbing case in the desert several weeks ago, and decided that I needed to see more vegetation on my vacation. I know what brings you here, so I'm not even going to ask."

Grissom looked shocked. Had the news of the attempts on his life spread so far that even an anthropologist heard.

"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me. Besides before I left, I heard they were gaining ground on finding the source."

Looking relieved he took another bite and they talked about their work. It had been several years since he last saw her, she announced her marriage and that was that.

"So, Terri, how's your family doing these days?"

"Well, I've been divorced for the last year. It just didn't work out with me traveling so much. We hardly saw each other after our wedding. It just wasn't meant to be."

Not what he wanted to hear. He knew that he had already given himself to Sara. Even if for the one night she was what he wanted and had longed for. He would do right by her.

Grissom walked Terri back to her hotel with Matt several steps behind. When they reached the door she laced her hands behind his neck and quickly pushed her lips to his. He was frozen. His hands remained at his sides, yet his eyes closed at the sensation. She continued to try and deepen the kiss but he didn't kiss her back. Terri stopped and looked at him.

"Is there something wrong?"

"Yes, I can't do this."

She clearly didn't hear him as she moved to kiss his neck up to his ear. Truly he was not a robot like others had claimed because no matter how much his brain fought to stay in control, his body reacted like any other man's would. The moan he let out was enough for her to keep going. She had unlocked the door and pulled him inside.

"Terri, stop."

She continued her assault on his neck as she maneuvered him towards the bed.

"Stop. I can't do this."

He grabbed her wrists and jerked her away from him. She looked into his eyes as they changed from a deep blue to near black. She knew she had gone too far. Grissom dropped her hands and moved towards the door.

"Terri, you're a good friend. But I'm afraid that's all. Good night."

Grissom walked out into the hall where Matt was standing with a stern look on his face.

"Don't say a damn thing, I don't want to hear it."

They walked back to their rooms by way of the beach. Grissom was talking, trying to understand what had happened and to make himself feel better.

"I said stop. She didn't. But all that I had to do was make her stop. Why? Why couldn't I? I love Sara. What would she do if she finds out about this?"

"Probably never speak to you again."

Grissom stopped and turned towards Matt.

"Well, from what I've seen from her, she's not a woman who takes things lightly. She's very independent and has made it this far in life without you, so what's a little while longer."

His words struck Grissom in the chest. He had betrayed Sara's trust. Even though their last night was the first, they had declared their love to each other. And that was enough for him. He needed to be truthful and make things right.

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

Terri left the next day. He only hoped that he would be able to return home before Sara heard rumors about what had happened. Then several days later he got the all clear.

"Hey, Grissom. I just got a call from the FBI. They have naturalized the threat and even got a few more mobsters put away."

"When can we leave?"

"Tomorrow morning. I'll fly with you back to Vegas then I'm gone."

"Thanks, for everything." he held out his hand and Matt shook it.

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Once she got the news of his impending return, Sara couldn't hold in her excitement. She sat in the break room unable to hold still. Her hands were constantly moving, and it was driving Catherine nuts. She was 7 weeks pregnant and luckily her morning sickness phase was short. Being able to see Grissom again and give him the good news was tearing her up inside. Catherine was the only one other than Brass who knew she was pregnant. And Brass only knew from his observations of her, and when he confronted her about it she told him knowing he wouldn't say anything. Between him and Catherine, they have been supporting and helpful with everything she has needed.

"So, when are you going to tell him?"

"I'm not sure. I just want to see him again you know."

Catherine smiled and looked up. Sara followed her gaze towards the door and met the bluest eyes in the world. Neither cared where they were as she rose and quickly moved towards him. He scooped her up into his arms, their lips met in the flood of emotion they had been holding in for each other. Through the glass walls time stood still as everyone watched the scene develop in front of them. Grissom and Sara, finally in each others arms.

He knew he had to tell her about the incident that happened with Terri. The guilt was weighing heavy on his chest, but he was too wrapped up in her embrace to think straight. When they arrived at his townhouse he was glad to see that even in his absence that she felt comfortable making herself at home.

She didn't want to wait, her body was working in overdrive. She led him to the bedroom and quickly removed her clothes and he his. The time between them was for too long, and their bodies demanded satisfaction.

That night he went about his usual routine. He took his messages and headed towards his office. The voice he heard echo down the hall before he turned the key made his blood freeze. Grissom walked to the break room and he saw Catherine and Sara sitting and listening to Terri Miller tell them about how they had run into each other. When Sara noticed him approaching, she stood and quickly left. He didn't try to stop her though he knew he should. Anger quickly flooded his senses as he slammed his briefcase on the table interrupting Terri.

"Oh, hello Dr. Grissom." She wanted to say more but didn't.

Catherine knew he was mad by the look in his eyes. She had only seen those eyes once before.

"What did you say?"

"What do you mean? I only brought up how we had run into each other."

The look on Catherine's face said other wise.

"Don't lie to me Terri. What did you tell her?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't know..."

"Tell me now! What did you tell her?" Grissoms voice boomed and Terri couldn't respond. Catherine decided to help refresh Terri's mind.

"You said that you kissed him."

"And Sara heard this?"

Catherine nodded. Grissom slammed his fists down on the table and went to his office.

He continually tried Sara's cell phone. She wasn't picking up, so he left several messages.

"Sara, please call me back. I need to straighten this out with you. Nothing happened. Please Sara. I love you."

He continued to plead his case to her voice mail. Finally Catherine entered his office .

"Hey, Gil."

"Not now Catherine."

"Sara just called me." now she had his attention. "She asked me if she could crash at my place for a few days."

"Catherine, nothing happened you have to believe me. Nothing happened."

"Grissom, I believe you. But when the woman who kissed you is telling her side of the story, it's upsetting to anyone. I'll talk to her tonight. But you need to explain everything to her."

He sat in silence knowing he had screwed up. He should have told Sara. He should have stopped Terri when she started kissing him. He had been without Sara for nearly 7 weeks, and now he could loose her forever.

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

Catherine sat comforting a crying Sara in her living room. Between her sobs Sara was mumbling incoherently. Catherine could only hold her while she cried out her pain.

"Sara, he told me nothing happened between them. And the look in his eyes said he was telling the truth. He loves you dearly. Why don't you just talk to him and get his side of the story."

Sara lifted her head and tried to wipe away her tears. She nodded in acknowledgment.

"Ok, how about he comes over and if things get too far out of hand he can leave. Does that sound ok with you?"

Again Sara nodded. Catherine rose, walked to the front door and opened it. She then returned to Sara, gave her a hug and walked into the kitchen. Sara was confused until Grissom walked through the door holding a bunch of roses. The look on his face nearly broke Sara's heart. He hated seeing her cry, and knowing that she was crying because of something he did, tore him up even more.

He walked over to her and kneeled next to her. He spoke as he handed her the flowers.

"Sara, I know you have every right to be mad at me. All that I want to do is explain to you why I did what I did. Is that ok?"

She didn't respond and sat clutching the roses.

"Sara, yes I had dinner with Terri. Yes, I walked her to her door. Yes," he paused knowing what he was about to confess could end their one sided conversation right there, "...she kissed me. I know I shouldn't have allowed it. I was frozen. I wasn't thinking. I wanted to stop her but my arms wouldn't move."

"Did you kiss her back?"

"No. And I finally did tell her 'No'. But she kept going. All I could think about was you Sara. So I finally put an end to it, I told her goodnight and left. She was gone the next morning. I wanted to tell you when I first came back, but when I saw you it was like a dream come true. Sara, I beg you, please believe me. I love you so much."

Sara flew into his arms and cried harder than before. He held her until she calmed down.

"If you don't want to come home with me tonight, I understand and will be there when you decide to come home."

She continued to sob into his shirt. He had never seen her so emotional before, yet he had put her through so much in the last 2 months that he couldn't blame her. He held her until she had exhausted herself and fell asleep in his arms.

Catherine came back into the room when she heard it get quiet. She watched as Grissom gently laid Sara back on the couch. She handed him a blanket and he covered her up and kissed her forehead. He stood and walked into the kitchen with Catherine where they enjoyed some coffee in silence. It was peaceful until they heard Sara cry out in pain from the living room. Grissom was quickly by her side as she curled into a ball.

"Sara, Sara talk to me. What's wrong?"

The pain in her abdomen was too intense for her to respond. Catherine called for paramedics then joined Grissom. Sara kept clutching her stomach and gritting her teeth in pain. Catherine quickly knew what the problem was. The EMT's arrived and had her loaded in minutes.

As they were loading her Grissom swore he over heard Catherine tell them that Sara was pregnant. He sat next to her holding her had as they rushed them to the hospital. Catherine was closely following while she called the rest of the team.

He tried to follow her into the trauma room but a heavy set nurse stopped him short. Grissom tried to see her before the nurse took him back to the waiting room. Moments later Catherine and Brass entered and sat next to him. The others slowly made their way into the waiting room. Catherine had explained everything to them so they would be prepared.

The Doctor entered and hour later.

"Mr. Grissom?"

He stood and approached the doctor. "Yes."

"Mr. Grissom we have stabilized her for the moment. We haven't been able to find the baby. And if we can't find it within the next thirty minutes, we will preform a D&C. I'm sorry but we have no choice."

"Can I see her?"

The doctor nodded and Grissom left with him. Catherine was crying on Brass, while the boys sat in silence holding in their emotions.

Grissom took a seat next to Sara and took her hand. She turned her tear streaked face to him.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

"Shhhh, Sara. Don't worry about it. I just want you to get better."

"Did they tell you that the baby is dead?"

"Sara. They don't know that for sure yet."

"I do. I know. It's dead." She continued to sob as he rose and kissed her forehead.

The doctor returned and began to do an ultrasound to try to find the baby. They both sat in silence and seeing the look on his face they knew.

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

The fast whooshing sound coming from the ultrasound was unmistakable. Tears filled both of their eyes as the heartbeat coming from their baby filled the room. The doctor smiled and gave several instructions to the nurse as he moved the monitor so Grissom and Sara could see their baby. He let them listen to the beating heart for several minutes before cleaning the gel off of Sara.

"Ok, looks like you've dodged a big bullet here Ms. Sidle. I am going to keep you today for observation, but you need to remain on bed rest for several more days. Try to keep your stress level at zero. And I want to do another scan in a few days to make sure that there is no damage to your baby."

Sara pulled on Grissoms hand until he was lying in the bed next to her. He rubbed her stomach hoping to soothe her into resting. It worked and within minutes she was asleep.

Catherine and Brass watched them from the doorway. Grissom smiled at them and they knew that everything was going to be ok.

He watched Sara sleep and protectively he kept his hand over her abdomen. Smiling, he let his head rest next to hers and sleep took him over. The events that took place over the last day had emotionally drained him. And Sara. God what he had done to her. She was an emotional roller coaster, but he couldn't blame her. If he had told her at the beginning maybe she wouldn't have stressed like she had. He only had himself to blame, and he had a lot of making up to do. She had cared for him when he was shot, now it was his turn to wait on her hand and foot. Only this time, it would be for the rest of his life.

The next day Grissom was helping Sara into the Denali when she asked him a question.

"Griss, would it be alright if I stayed with you?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing."

He closed her door and walked around the front and climb in behind the wheel.

"I know you thought I was asking if I could just stay for a while but what I meant was..." Her voice cracked. She couldn't finish the sentence. But she knew by the look on his face, he knew what she was trying to say.

"Lets get you home first. We have lots of time to talk about things."

She smiled and took his hand in hers as he put the truck into gear and pulled out of the parking lot.

Grissom had taken several days off to take care of Sara. He cooked her meals, sat with her in his arms on the couch while they both read, and catered to her every need. Sara enjoyed his attention. It was everything he had dreamed about while he was gone.

That afternoon they were curled up together on the couch, wrapped in a blanket enjoying the soft sounds of his classical music flood the room. She rested her head on his strong chest, while his hand rubbed her stomach in small soothing circles. His gentleness was slightly surprising.

"Gil."

"Hmm."

"Do you think that we might be able to get a new couch? I mean this one's kinda..."

"I know. It's small and uncomfortable. When we get done with the doctor today, we can stop and look."

She had forgotten about the doctor. So far she hadn't had any pain. But that doesn't mean that everything's ok. As her emotions gathered, he felt her body tense in his arms. Immediately he knew that she became concerned for the baby.

"Sara, don't worry. I'm sure that everything will turn out alright." He knew that didn't sound very convincing but he had to say something.

Two hours later Sara was laying on her back in the hospital with Grissom standing beside her, holding her hand. This was it moment of truth. In a few moments the doctor would come in and tell them about their baby. Grissom stood confident but the concern was evident on his face. Sara tried to stay calm. Damn she hated waiting. All it did was make people nervous for no reason.

Finally the doctor entered and turned on the ultrasound. He raised Sara's shirt, applied the gel, and used the wand to smear the goo. The sound on the machine was off so they couldn't hear anything yet. Grissom tried to see the screen, while Sara tried to read the doctors face. He sat quiet for several minutes, too long for Grissoms liking.

"OK.."

Not a good start.

"...first, your baby is still alive. But barely. The heart rate is extremely low, and I'm afraid that there is nothing that we can do for it, seeing that you are only 8 weeks pregnant."

The tears rolled down Sara's cheeks as she squeezed Grissoms hand.

"I want to admit you Ms. Sidle, and if the baby's heart rate continues to fall then we will have to terminate your pregnancy. I'm sorry for you both. I'll give you a minute then a nurse will be in to start a line and take you to a room."

He left and Sara sat up and leaned against Grissom while he wrapped his arms around her. She tried to hide from the world in his embrace while she wept. This was going to be one of the worst days of her life.

TBC


	9. Chapter 9

When she woke up, she was all alone. The smell of the sanitary room nearly made her nauseous. No, that wasn't it. What was making her nauseous was the reality of the events that happened no more than an hour ago.

"Ms. Sidle, we are going to prep you for emergency surgery. I'm sorry but your baby's heart has stopped beating."

After that she only remembers crying. Now that she was awake she wondered where Grissom was. She last saw him holding her hand as the anaesthetics took her over.

Sara laid in silence. She wanted to crawl into a hole and hide from the world. To her at the moment the whole situation was embarrassing. It was like God's cruel way of telling her that she wouldn't be a good mother. Especially if she couldn't even make it through the first trimester. God where was Grissom.

He sat alone in the dark behind his desk. The blinds were shut, but his bottle of scotch was open. And half empty. He couldn't bring himself to see her. It was his fault that all of this had happened to her. To them. Grissom wanted nothing more than to hold Sara for the rest of his life. And the news that they were going to have a baby together made his life all the more worth living. The near silent knock on the door pulled him out of his subconscious.

Without asking permission to enter, Brass slowly crept in and took a seat in front of the desk. Neither spoke a word as he poured Brass a drink and another for himself.

"I shouldn't be the one to tell you, that you should be at the hospital with Sara." Brass took a drink.

Grissom quickly downed his and responded. "It's my fault all of this is happening to her. If I would have just told her sooner none of this would of happened. She doesn't deserve me."

"Why don't you let her decide that? She knows what she wants in life. Come on lets go. I'll drive you to the hospital."

Catherine was sitting with Sara trying to comfort her as the doctor informed her that her sudden stress had nothing to do with the baby dying.

"The baby wasn't developing right. It's was your body's way of trying to terminate the pregnancy. You will be able to go home later this evening if all goes well."

Sara thought that all of this was because of Grissom. His little 'didn't happen fling' with Terri while he was away was to blame. She still did blame him a little but she still wanted to be with him.

Brass appeared at the door. Sara smiled knowing that he was going to bring Grissom to her. But he was alone.

"Sara, I took him home. He was a little inebriated."

She just nodded and began to sob. Catherine stood and wrapped her arms around the shaking Sara. In a way they all knew why Grissom had gotten drunk, but then again, Sara needed him and he needed her.

That evening as promised Sara was released from the hospital. Catherine drove her to Grissoms.

As they entered, the townhouse was dark. Sara turned on the lights and it was then Catherine understood why she wanted to go there. Sara had practically moved in while Grissom was gone.

She went into the kitchen to make some coffee for them while Sara went into the bedroom to get Grissom. Catherine had been around the place before so she made herself at home making coffee and made Sara a bagel with cream cheese. After about ten minutes passed she began to worry about Sara so she went to investigate.

Catherine knocked before entering the bedroom hoping that all was well. All was not well. Sara sat on the edge of the bed sobbing uncontrollably. As she looked around there was no sign of Grissom. She sat down and put her arm around her and that's when she saw the crumpled note in her hand. Slowly prying it away so it didn't tear, Catherine took the note and read it.

_My Dearest Sara,_

_I am so sorry for what happened. God knows that the one thing that I truly wanted in life was to have a life with you. The baby was a plus. But because of me, there is no baby. It's my fault. I hope someday you will forgive me for the pain I have caused you in the last few days. I never meant for any of this to happen. I want you to continue to live at my place, in fact I have taken the liberty of putting your name on the deed along with mine. Every thing is paid for so you won't have to pay rent. I have also made arrangements with my bank so that you can access one of my saving accounts. I hope that it is enough for you to live off of while you are off work. I will check the balance regularly to see if you need more. I feel it's the least I can do. I'm not leaving forever, I just need to take some time away to give you time to heal and forgive me. Upon my return if you don't want to continue to be with me after what has happened I can live with that. I will have to. I deserve to be in pain, not you. I love you so much that I cannot stand to see you in any pain, emotionally or physically. Please accept all of my offerings and use them to your disposal. I will be back as soon as I can._

_Love Always, Grissom._

_TBC_


	10. Chapter 10

Grissom stepped off of the small plane and looked at his surroundings. The scenery was breathtaking this time of year. The small cabin was surrounded by the lush evergreen forest, and the sound of the river flowing by added to the spectacle.

It was only a year ago he was contacted by an old friend. Dr. Robert Plager was an wildlife expert in Alaska. Nearly 20 years ago, Grissom had met him at a conference in New York. The two had very little contact since, but still kept in touch. So this led Grissom way up north. He needed to some distance from Vegas, and to give Sara a chance to think.

Grissom settled into the guest room of Robert's cabin, unpacking his clothes and setting up a small work place. He didn't want to interfere with any of Robert's research while being a guest. The cabin was outfitted well, and had every modern luxury. Grissom set up his laptop and quickly accessed his email. No new messages. No one knew where he went. So how would they know to send an email.

Ashamed of himself, he closed the computer and sighed. He could of handled the whole situation better. But instead of facing his fears, he fled hoping that time would help. Grissom stood and walked outside. He walked down to the river and watched the water swiftly flow by. His mind eased as he took in his surroundings. Fishing in his pockets he retrieved the small digital camera that he had taken with. Aiming at the mountains, forest, and river, he snapped several pictures of the landscape. As he was taking the pictures, Grissom heard a ruckus on the opposite side of the river.

He stood as still as a statue as a Kodiak bear emerged out of the tree line. The large bear sniffed her way down to the river to take a drink. Grissom raised his camera and began taking multiple pictures of the animal.

"That's Tish. I've been documenting her since birth." Robert said as he walked up to Grissom.

"How do you know that specific bear?"

"Well, she is unique. Her left front foot is a blonde color compared to the rest fo her body."

"Aren't you afraid that..." Grissom couldn't find the words.

"Nah. You don't bother them, they won't bother you."

Grissom nodded and watched as the bear made her way back into the woods.

Later that night he sat at his computer and uploaded the images he took earlier in the day. It was then that he decided to write Sara.

'Dear Sara,

I just wanted to write and tell you that I am doing fine. I hope that you are doing well, and getting much needed rest. I am sorry for leaving like I did. I didn't know what to do. All of this is very frightening to me. Now that I am gone I realize that leaving was a mistake. If I were in the comfort of your arms, I would have nothing to fear. I still feel responsible for what happened. I am sending some pictures to show you where I am. Which is Alaska by the way. I have a friend up here that I am staying with. God I miss you so much. Tell everyone where I am and that I am doing fine. I think I will only spend a few weeks up here to clear my head then return to your waiting arms. If you'll still have me. I love you.

Love Grissom'

Sara scoffed as she read his makeshift reason for leaving her hi and dry. She did take the time to look at the photos he sent, but didn't reply to his message. Looking at the clock she decided to go into the lab. Even thou she was still on medical leave, she couldn't hang around the townhouse alone for the rest of the night.

She went into his office to think. The door was unlocked which startled her slightly, but when she opened the door it was only Greg.

"Oh, hey Sara. What are you doing here?"

"I was going to ask you the same question."

"Grissom asked me to feed his creepy crawlies while he's on leave. I only agreed cause he's paying me."

"Well, I didn't want to sit at home alone. So I thought I could be of some help here."

Greg smiled and walked her into the break room where Nick and Warrick sat waiting for Catherine. No one argued with Sara's reason for being there. Everyone was now in the loop on her and Grissoms 'relationship'. To her at the moment there wasn't much of a relationship.

By the end of shift Sara was exhausted. She stood from behind Grissoms desk when her cell phone rang. Thinking it was Grissom she checked her caller ID. He was the last person right now that she wanted to talk to. But she didn't recognize the number, so she answered it.

"Hello."

"Hey little Sara Sidle. How are you?"

"Lucas, is this you? What are you doing?" She sat back down into the chair.

"Well I'm moving to Vegas and need a place to stay. Can you hook me up? I just have the clothes on my back right now."

She thought for a second. Right now she was living at Grissoms townhouse, and had given up her lease at her apartment.

"Sure, you can crash with me for a while."

"Cool, I'll be there in a week. I can't wait to see you again. It's been entirely too long."

"Yes it has."

"I'll call you to let you know when I'm coming for sure. Thank you so much Sara. I'll make it up to you, I promise."

"That's fine Lucas. Anything to help a friend. Call me later."

"You bet. Bye."

"Bye."

Sara hung up the phone with a better feeling. Man, Lucas Harris. She hadn't heard from him since her first year in Vegas. The news that he was moving here and wanted to see her again made her happy. She would have a friend outside of work to hang out with. Sara walked through the halls with a smile on her face as she headed to her car.

When she arrived at home the first thing she did was straightened up the guest room. Her new founded excitement found her in a groove, and she started to clean up. She dusted every butterfly case, around the book shelves, the entertainment center. After an hour she turned on the music. She unpacked items that have spent weeks in boxes, and placed her things from her apartment around the place to make it just as much hers as it was Grissoms. And since he was gone she didn't see any harm in letting an old friend stay for a little while.

TBC


	11. Chapter 11

Four days later Sara's cell phone chirped at her for the hundredth time that day. Sighing she looked at the caller ID. What she saw caused her to smile.

"Hey."

"Hey yourself beautiful."

"How do you know that I'm beautiful? For all you know I could be ugly." She couldn't help but giggle.

"Sara, you have always been beautiful."

"Ok. You are such a sweet talker Lucas."

"I know. I wanted to give you a heads up that I will be coming tomorrow."

She smiled and gave him the directions to the lab. It was much easier to find than Grissoms townhouse. After hanging up she went about her business putting her things in her locker before heading to the break room to start shift.

He sat on a log next to the river and thought about Sara. She hadn't responded to any of his attempts to contact her. In a way he was worried about her. But the email last night from Catherine eased his mind. That's when he decided that he needed to return to her. The sea plane wouldn't be back out for another 2 days, and then it would take one more just to get back to Vegas. So he had three days to think of what he was going to say to Sara. Hopefully she would forgive him and they could continue with their lives.

"You know Gil, I never pictured you as the kind of guy to fall in love." Robert said as he took a seat next to him.

"You've never met Sara."

"Well she must be some woman."

"She is. I just hope that I haven't screwed this up too bad."

"Well, I'm not an expert at women. In fact I don't think anyone is. But what I do know comes from experience so listen up. When you get home just be understanding. No matter what is going on, you have to be understanding. I wasn't and now I'm out here living with wild animals. So, unless you want to be like me, just stop and listen to what she has to say. Hold your tongue and your temper. And hopefully everything will work out."

Sara headed out to her car after a long shift. She hadn't intended to be at work this long. Before getting in she heard her name being called. As she turned to see, there stood Lucas.

He was totally handsome. Standing around six foot, dark brown eyes, near black hair, and he was well built. He wasn't overly muscled, but just enough to get any girls attention.

"Hey I thought you weren't getting in til later."

"I'm a little early. So sue me. Heading home?"

"Yeah. Just follow me."

"Okay."

When they arrived at her place she showed Lucas around.

"So when have you been into butterflies and bugs?" He asked as he walked through the kitchen.

"Oh, they're not mine. I live here with..." She didn't know what Grissom was right now.

"Your boyfriend?"

She just smiled.

"I see. So where is he right now? Cause if I was dating a beautiful woman like you I would never leave the house."

"Grissom is in Alaska at the moment. He needed a break."

"Un hun."

She showed him the guest room and yawned.

"Sara, your tired. I'll make my self at home while you rest."

She had to agree. And she left to take a shower.

Sara woke up late in the afternoon. She was clutching Grissoms pillow as always while she slept. It still smelled of him and she couldn't fall asleep without clinging to it. Slipping into her robe she made her way into the kitchen to make her coffee. It was a routine she had grown accustom to since he left, but she forgot about her house guest.

"Good afternoon Sara."

"Lucas. I forgot you were here. I'm sorry." she said while trying to cover up.

"That's alright. What time do you go into work?"

"I'm off tonight. Why?"

"Well I thought I would show my appreciation by taking you to a nice dinner. I have no idea where anything around here is so I thought you could show me around."

"Sure. Just let me get dressed and wake up."

He smiled and watched her walk back into the master bedroom, then continued searching the paper for a place to live.

That night they had a blast. Sara took him all over showing his where some of the better neighborhoods were. And he took her to a sushi bar where they had a little too much to drink.

Lucas got them home safely. He started coffee while he listened to Sara ramble in her intoxicated state about Grissom. She still had her wits about her, but the alcohol had loosened her tongue.

"I don't know what to do with him Lucas. I'm sure he loves me. He says it constantly. But he takes off when I need him the most. That's not saying much. I just wish I knew what to do."

"Sara, I think you know what you want in life. If you two can get all of this figured out I think that you can be happy together. As you said, he's not that socially experienced. And to me it sounds like he's not much of a ladies man either."

Sara laughed, "You got that right."

"Well, it sounds like he's scared of you."

"Scared of me? Grissom? No way."

"Sara, I bet he's afraid cause you have so much control over him. You have the power to destroy him. And as a man, that's one of the biggest fears when pursuing a relationship."

He sat next to her on the couch and held her hand. They sat in silence until Sara spoke again.

"Lucas, I don't know what to do. But you are a big help. Thank you."

"Sara, you're a great friend. I can see you love him. You can't deny that."

"Why did you have to become a psychiatrist?"

"What can I say, I'm good with people. And you are hurting big time. How about when he gets back I have a chat with him. I'm sure he just needs some guidance"

"I don't think that's a good idea. Grissoms not the kind to open up, and share his feelings."

"Well, you know that you can always talk to me."

TBC


	12. Chapter 12

Hey sorry it's been a while since I updated. I just moved into a new apartment that is freakishly like Sara's. The living room is a brick red color, the kitchen is a blueish purple, and I'm not sure what color the bedroom would be classified as. Hope there are still people out there reading.

Grissom was antsy. He stood near the dock with Robert waiting for the seaplane.

"Gil, relax. You are acting like it's your first time flying."

"It's not the flight. It's the welcome home I'm worried about."

"I wouldn't worry about it too much. If you tell the truth and are sincere about it. She'll have to forgive you. It helps a lot if she loves you."

"I'm pretty sure she does. I just have a lot of making up to do."

The sound of the plane in the distance had them saying their good byes.

Grissom loaded his gear into the small plane and boarded. It would be half a day or better before he reached Vegas. By his calculations he should reach home by this evening before Sara would be heading into the lab. Knowing her she has been working instead of resting.

Sara headed home from the lab. She wanted to get some rest this morning. Lucas had asked her to show her several nice apartments in the area. He had found a place to open his office, and while she slept, he worked on cleaning up the small office.

She walked through the door, her body on auto pilot as she moved through the house. Food, shower, sleep in that order. Lucas kept to himself if she got home before he left. He would observe her routine morning after morning. Still he never got why she did what she did.

While she was in the shower he would leave to work on his new office. Vegas was the kind of town where it seemed everyone saw a shrink. He knew he could make a successful practice, and with Sara here only made it a plus. But he knew that her heart belonged to someone else. And that someone was too stupid to see it. But he was an honest man. There were plenty of fish in the sea. Sara was a good friend. They had never been anything more.

Sara woke up around two in the afternoon. She was still tired but excited to go with Lucas on his apartment search. As she dressed she heard the front door open and close. Her blood ran cold. 'God I hope it's Lucas.' was all she could think. The knock on the door confirmed it.

"Sara, hey girl are you up yet?"

"I'll be out in a minute."

They spent all afternoon looking at apartments. Sara was glad that it was him and not her. They grabbed take out and headed back to the townhouse.

"So what did you think of the one off of Western?"

Sara shook her head. "It's too far away from your office, don't you think?"

"I'm not worried about distance."

"You will when you hit the traffic early in the morning."

He smiled, "Ok, how about the one on 12th street?

"Look, I don't see why you just don't buy a house. You're a psychiatrist. I mean you have money don't you?"

"I'm just not wanting anything big at the moment."

"Well what happens if you meet the future Mrs. Harris? Then will you get a house?"

"Maybe."

Then it hit Sara.

"Hey I have the best idea. Screw an apartment, come on."

She stood, grabbed his hand and jerked him to his feet. Sara was a force not to be reckoned with at the moment, so he didn't argue. She drug him out of the house. They walked down the block together. When Sara reached her destination she was way too happy for Lucas's liking.

"Look." She pointed to the 'For Sale, by owner' sign. "It's perfect. Come on, lets check it out."

They walked up to the door and knocked gently. Sara smiled as an elderly woman opened the door and greeted them.

"Hi, my name is Sara Sidle and this is my friend Lucas Harris." She continued her introduction as the older woman let them in. They looked around the two bedroom townhouse as the elderly lady shared her story. Neither payed too close attention to her as they did their own evaluation.

Nearly an hour later Sara bounded into the living room of Grissoms house followed by Lucas.

"You so have to buy that place. It's too perfect. The price is right. Great location."

"What do you mean great location?"

"You will only be a block away from me. Duh?"

He smiled and they sat to finish off their cold takeout.

"Ok, Sara. You win. I'll go to the bank first thing to see about getting the money for the house." Lucas said as he stood to walk into the kitchen.

Sara jumped up and into his arms hugging him in excitement. He held her briefly then let her slide down to the floor. She looked at the shocked expression on his face.

"What?"

His eyes spoke the words he couldn't. She turned to see Grissom standing in the doorway looking at them.

TBC


	13. Chapter 13

_Thanks to all who reviewed. I love reading them. And as promised another chapter._

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Sara took a step away from Lucas. She remained silent as she eyed Grissom. The last time she had seen him was right before her procedure. Then he was clean faced, now the beard was back. He had it shorter than he used to, but the color still brought out his eyes. Grissom held a bunch of flowers in his hand, but instead of presenting them, they were at his side. He took a deep breath, then another.

The silence in the room was deafening. Sara was the first to speak.

"Grissom..."

"Sara stop. Please. You don't need to explain."

"Griss, just listen. Please. It's not what it looks like."

"You in the arms of another man. What I am supposed to think." he was cool as a cucumber as he spoke. "I can't talk right now. I bought these for you. I was hoping you would forgive me." He set the flowers down and turned to the door. "I'll be at Jim's." Swiftly he stepped out and shut the door.

Once in the safely of his car he sat with his thoughts raging. Boy had he screwed up. She didn't need to explain herself to him. He was the one who had drove her into the arms of another man. But he didn't expect her to move on so fast. He started the car and pulled out.

Sara watched him as he sat in his car internally beating himself up. She didn't understand why he jumped to conclusions so fast without letting her explain. Lucas was patient and waited for her to sit back down. He knew how much she loved Grissom. All he could do was be there for her. But he also knew that she was too tired to fight with Grissom, and fight for what she wants. Grissom had finally worn her down to the point of giving up.

She finally broke down completely and cried into Lucas's arms until she had to go into work. She hoped that Grissom wouldn't go.

Grissom steered his car into the driveway. For a minute he sat and thought. But quickly stopped. 'I've done way too much thinking and analyzing for one day.' He grabbed his bags and knocked on the door. By the second knock he thought that Brass might of already headed into work.

Brass opened the door with a glass of scotch in his hand. Not working tonight.

"Oh man. I never thought I would see this day."

"I need a place to stay for a day or two."

Jim stepped back and let Grissom in.

"You want a drink? I got plenty."

"No thanks. I need to stay sober."

"Why? This is the perfect reason to get trashed."

"I know. But I need to be in pain. Not painless."

"Whatever. I'll drink and you can watch."

Grissom smiled and sat down on the couch. His mind was constantly telling him to go and talk to Sara, but his body wouldn't move. Brass started small talk, but the subject quickly changed to women and relationships.

"Gil, I know you are confused right now. That's what women want us to be."

Grissom looked at him. "What?"

"Confused. Women want men to be confused so they can control them."

"I think you've had enough to drink. Come on I'll help you to bed."

Grissom helped Brass into his bedroom and took the glass out of his hand and walked back into the living room. It was then he heard the soft knocking on the door. He checked his watch. It read one a.m. He decided to answer it. Grissom tugged the door open. Sara stood on the porch with her hands protectively wrapped around her.

"Figures. Something happens that you don't like so you drown yourself in scotch. You are so predictable."

"Sara, I haven't been drinking."

"Yeah right. Prove it."

He swiftly pulled her into him and kissed her with every ounce of passion that he possessed. Using only his mouth he led her into the house and kicked the door shut with his foot.

When he finally broke away Sara was breathless. The words she had rehearsed were gone. Grissom set the glass down and gathered her up in his arms.

"Sara, I'm sorry. I should let you explain. Come sit and talk with me."

He led her to the couch and waited for her to begin talking. She curled into his chest and inhaled his scent. She was intoxicated by it.

They sat in each others comfort before either of them spoke up.

"His name is Lucas."

"What?"

"The man at the house. His name is Lucas. He is a good friend of mine from Frisco that is moving to Vegas. He needed a place to stay for a week, so I let him stay in the guest room. I didn't think you would mind."

"Sara, I'm not worried about that. I was afraid that I had driven you away for the last time."

"This is the last time. I'm willing to give you, us, one more chance. I can't take anymore of this Griss."

"Sara, I never meant to hurt you. But I just keep managing to do it."

The tears welled up in her eyes and she burried her face into his chest as he confessed to her.

"I love you so much. I want to be with you. I want it all with you."

"So do I."

"Sara, please forgive me. What do I need to do to prove my love to you?"

She turned in his arms to look him in the eyes.

"I want to have a family. Grissom when I found out I was pregnant I was terrified. But Catherine convinced me that you would be happy. You are the only person I want to have children with. But what do you want?"

"A family with you. Sara, before you I had never humored the thought of being a father, but with you, you make it all worth it."

They leaned back into the couch. Grissom pulled the blanket from the back and covered up Sara. She curled into his arms and drifted off to sleep. Soon after Grissom joined her.

TBC


	14. Chapter 14

Brass slowly made his way out into the living room. He didn't remember much about last night. Only that Grissom had come over. He wondered if he was still here. Yawning, he passed the couch and into the kitchen to start himself some coffee, but before he made in to the coffee pot something drew him back into the living room.

He smiled as he saw Sara sound asleep curled into Grissoms arms. They were both wrapped up in the blanket he kept on the sofa. He continued on his original task, coffee. His hangover demanded it.

Half an hour later Sara stirred. The smell of coffee filled the small house waking her senses. She tried to move but an obstruction was holding her back. The combination of the blanket and Grissoms arms held her firmly in place. She turned her head to look at him. He looked peaceful. The feeling of being watched had her eyes looking around the room. Only when she made eye contact with Jim did she relax.

He was sitting in his large leather chair sipping his coffee.

"I knew Gil was sleeping over, but I wasn't expecting you."

"Yeah, well I didn't think I was going to either. I came over just to give him a piece of my mind."

"And by the looks of it he convinced you otherwise."

She smiled and tried to find a way out of her makeshift cocoon. In her efforts to free herself, Grissom began to wake and his arms instinctively tightened around her body. She maneuvered her head to watch him slowly regain consciousness.

"Morning."

"Hi. Did you sleep well?"

"Hm-hmm."

She smiled as Brass spoke up. "I slept like a log."

Grissom turned his head awkwardly to look at Brass. "You should of with that much alcohol in your system."

The ringing of the phone drew Brass up and back into the kitchen. Grissom and Sara continued to lay wrapped up on the couch just enjoying each others company. But it didn't last long.

"That was the Sheriff. He wants everyone in the lab in 30 minutes. No if's, and's, or but's."

The trio reluctantly began to get their bodies moving at a swifter pace. Grissom drove Sara while Brass followed. They made it back to the lab with minutes to spare.

Sara went straight into the break room to join the others, while Grissom stopped by his office. When he finally made it back to the break room the Sheriff had just started his little speech as to why everyone from graveyard was at the lab at 10 in the morning.

Catherine, Warrick, and Greg were exhausted. They had just worked the night before and had barely made it home before the call came in.

"Gil, so nice to have you back. I'll need you on this one. Ok people listen up. Here's what's going on. The Governor's daughter was in town last night, she spent the evening at a high end club, went to a mansion outside of Henderson, where the party continued. The owner's son of the house made the call. Paramedics pronounced around 9 this morning. I want Gil, Sidle, and Stokes to start this morning. Day shift is short staffed, but Gil your lead on this."

Grissom nodded his acceptance.

"Vartan and Doc Robbins are in route, Brass I want you along as well. Willows, Brown, and Sanders you three get some rest, then come in at 4 to assist. I cannot stress the importance of this case. That will be all." And with that he turned and quickly walked out leaving Conrad standing in his place.

"Ok, you heard the man lets get rolling."

"Why don't you go roll off a cliff?" it was out before she could stop it and quickly her hand went to her mouth. Before Ecklie could say anything Grissom grabbed Sara's arm and hauled her off into his office.

"What was that?"

She shrugged. "I don't know I thought I said it to myself."

"What, you have no inner monolog now?" He bit his tongue. "Look, lets forget about this for now. We have to get going. I know how easy it is to want to smart off to Ecklie, but now's not the time honey."

"I know. Sorry."

"It's fine, lets go."

Nick drove to the scene while Grissom read over the victims file. Sara sat in the back seat reading over his shoulder. She knew he hated it when people read over his shoulder like this, but it was her way of pushing a few little buttons. He never said a word to her the entire trip.

They spent hours processing the scene. The house was huge, and the amount of trash everywhere suggested a lot of guests. Brass was trying to get names out of the young man who called for help. But with the amount of liquor in his system still, it was nearly impossible.

Grissom noticed something in the kitchen that was out of place in his mind. A pair of vice grips lay on the counter. Curious as he was he walked into the garage. Brass followed wondering what scent the human bloodhound was tracking now. Grissom moved his flash light around the shelves of the large 4 car garage. The shelves were packed with crates and totes for storing odds and ends. Brass walked about 30 feet behind him, when he saw Grissoms shoulder rub against one of the crates. It wobbled and fell to the ground. Neither saw or expected what was coming next.

The crate exploded sending Brass backwards and Grissom hurling forwards. Every person on the property and in the house rushed to the garage disregaurding their own safety. Brass was coughing and rolling to sit up when Sara stopped him.

"Brass, lay still."

Nick went for Grissom who was on his hands and knees crawling.

"Griss, hey lay down and be still." he helped him lay down on his back. Grissom let out a few coughs to clear his lungs. Nick's eyes nearly popped out of his head as he yelled for the paramedics. "Sara you had better come over here.

Sara left Brass with a paramedic to go to Grissom. Tears came to her eyes at the sight of him. He seemed to be in no pain, but as she ran her hand through his hair she noticed the tiny trickle of blood seeping from his ears.

TBC


	15. Chapter 15

Thanks for all the reviews. I always enjoy reading them. Hope this chapter lives up to your expectations.

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He laid still and watched Nick and Sara's faces until the paramedics pushed them away.

"Sir, be still. Do you have any ringing in your ears? Do you hurt anywhere?"

He looked at the paramedic and slowly answered.

"Not much for pain. Just sore."

They took no chances and stabilized his body. Sara turned to look at Brass as he was put onto a stretcher. The tears flowed from her eyes, and Grissom watched her the entire time. He reached up and wiped away the tears from her face.

Grissom tried to hide his fear from her. When Walter Gordon blew himself up in front of him, he thought the ringing in his ears would never go away. Now all he could hear was a high pitched buzz.

As they continued to maneuver him on the back board, he saw Sara's lips move but heard no sound. She looked at him and waiting for his reply. He looked back at her but didn't say a word. As much as he tried, his eyes couldn't lie to her.

"You can't hear me can you."

Grissom didn't want to respond. His voice failed him so he just nodded. Sara looked away and more tears came. It was hard for him to watch her. He hated seeing her in any pain. Nick pulled her back as he was loaded into the ambulance.

Minutes later Grissom was rolled into the ER. The doctors and nurses moved around him in a chaotic dance. Several were cutting away at his clothes, while others where hooking him up to various instruments. He just stared at the ceiling praying that the buzzing would go away.

The doctor leaned over him and asked, "Can you hear me?"

Reluctantly he shook his head.

"Can you understand me?"

"I can read lips."

"Ok Mr. Grissom. I want to do several tests and scans of your head."

"I have otosclerosis. I had a stapedectomy several years ago. Since then my hearing has been fine."

"I have your file. We contacted your physician. She is going to consult on your tests. Hopefully we can resolve this issue for you."

"Thank you."

He tried to relax and let them work. If all of their efforts failed would Sara still love him if he were deaf. That one thought stayed on his mind the entire time.

Sara paced in the waiting room and waited for the doctor. Nick sat on the small couch, hoping that she would relax, but he knew better. He had phoned to the others and updated them on what had happened. Catherine was the first to arrive.

"Hey, any news?"

"Brass is being treated for minor injuries. But we don't know about Grissom."

Just as the words left his mouth the doctor came in. Sara stopped pacing and looked at him.

"Please sit. Overall, Mr. Grissom is fine. He suffered only minor injuries. But, I'm sure you all know about the otosclerosis."

They nodded in compliance.

"The concussion from the blast ruptured part of the inner ear. The tissue was sensitive from his surgery before, so it made it easier to be damaged. I have ordered up several tests and his physician is on her way. We are going to do everything we can to restore his hearing."

Sara was in tears when she spoke up. "Can I see him?"

"For a few minutes."

Catherine escorted Sara to see Grissom.

"I'll wait here." She said as they approached the ICU.

Sara walked through the double doors and a nurse took her to his bedside. Again water filled her eyes as she looked over him. His head was wrapped up in cotton that covered his ears. She reached out and took his hand. Slowly Grissom opened his eyes. He looked at her and attempted a smile to reassure her that everything would be ok.

"Sara..."

She cut him off. "Grissom. No matter what happens. I'll always be here for you." She spoke slowly enough for him to understand her.

He reached up and wiped yet more tears from her cheek.

"Please stop crying."

"I can't."

The nurse interrupted them. "I'm sorry but I need to take him to get a CT scan."

Grissom kissed the back of Sara's hand as she was led away.

Catherine walked with her back to the elevator. Once inside and alone Sara's legs gave way and she kneeled on the ground crying. Catherine did all she could to help her. When the doors opened Warrick and Nick were standing just a few yards away. They hurried over and got Sara to her feet and onto the waiting room couch. Eventually she fell asleep with her head in Catherine's lap.

Grissom tried to be as still as possible. The high pitched buzzing in his ears was stirring up a migraine. The nurse had turned off the lights to help. Until further notice he couldn't get any pain relievers for the pounding that was slowly increasing. He only tried to think of one thing, and that was Sara.

More tests were run and finally the conclusion to do surgery again was reached. And within the hour he found himself being overcome with anaesthetics.

Sara remained asleep when the doctor delivered the news of Grissoms surgery. Catherine and Warrick had left to go and help at the crime scene, but she had called Lucas before they left. He arrived minutes later. Now Sara's head was resting comfortably in his lap. It made Nick uncomfortable. He had always thought of Sara as a sister, and since she was dating their boss, irritating was the word that came to mind when he saw Lucas. He only saw him as the person wanting to break up Sara and Grissom.

Lucas ran his hands over Sara's sprawled out hair as she slept. Nick slowly felt his anger rise as he watched the scene unfold before him. He watched as Lucas gently moved Sara's head off of his lap so he could stand. As he walked towards the bathroom Nick stood and followed him.

Once in the men's room Nick couldn't hold back any longer.

"Hey, I know your Sara's friend, but so am I. She loves Grissom. Always had. I don't know where you fit into this picture but I think you might need to take a step back. Grissom is a very protective man. He may not look like the kind of guy that would fight over a woman, but when it comes to Sara, he'll do anything to protect her."

"I'm glad. I'm just a friend that's all. I care about Sara. She has told me a great deal about all of you guys, and how much you all mean to her. I don't want to see her hurt either. And I know how much they love each other, they just need to show it."

Nick cracked a small smile. The man was right.

"Well as long as your not here to split them up, I guess your cool."

He held out his hand and Lucas shook it. Then they made their way back to a sleeping Sara.

TBC


	16. Chapter 16

A few hours later Sara woke, and sat up on the couch. She removed the blanket that had been covering her and stood up to stretch. Then the realization of where she was hit. Just as she was about to go to the nurses station Lucas walked in with a cup of coffee.

"Hey, your awake."

"Yeah, where's Grissom? What's going on with him?"

"Relax. He's still in surgery."

"Surgery!"

"Yes, they are trying to repair the damage done to his ears. Chill out will you. It's only been two hours since he went in and the doctor said it would be at least four."

"Four hours!"

"Sara, calm down please. He'll be alright. Now how did last night go?"

He tried to change the subject. The suggestion that she take off work early and go talk with Grissom was his idea. Sara didn't respond but smiled.

"Well that looks like things went well."

"Not that well. Get your mind out of the gutter would you."

They both laughed. Sara had to admit that it felt better to think about something else.

He sat with her until Dr. Karen Roth entered the room.

"Ah, you must be Sara."

Confused she smiled, "Yes."

"Gil used to talk about you during his testing. I must say you have made quite an impression on the man."

Sara blushed.

"I'm sorry, my name is Karen Roth. I'm Gil's physician. He's out of surgery and in recovery. I'm afraid we won't know anything until he regains conciousness."

"What are the chances that he will be able to hear again?"

"In a case like this it's hard to say. Most likely he will wake up with little or no hearing. But over time it will slowly come back. He will never fully regain all of his hearing again. Too much damage has been done. Gil's going to need to be surrounded by a lot of support and his friends to help him get through this."

"When can he come home?"

"In a few days. But he will need to return weekly for more tests."

"Thank you. Can I see him?"

"Sure, follow me."

Sara turned to Lucas. But before she could speak he stopped her.

"I'm going to go move my things out and into my new place. If you need anything just call."

He leaned forward and kissed her forehead.

Sara followed Dr. Roth until they reached the recovery rooms.

"It may be several hours before he wakes up. But you can sit with him until he comes to. If any of the nurses give you a hard time just tell them that I told you that you could stay." She smiled and walked away.

Sara slowly walked to Grissoms bedside. She pulled up a chair and sat to his left taking his hand in hers. There were things that she wanted to say, but the chances that he couldn't hear her stopped her from speaking at all.She remained at his side and like the doctor said after a few hours he began to wake up.

Sara stood and leaned over so he could see her face when he gained back his sight. It took several minutes, but when his eyes were fully opened she looked deep into them. She didn't like what she saw.

His eyes were blank. She couldn't read them. He looked at her with no facial expression. No smile or even a rise from the corner of his mouth. It was if he wasn't expecting to see her. And the first words out of his mouth shocked her just as much.

"Why are you still here?" His voiced cracked. Dry from the lack of moisture.

"Why? Because I love you. That's why."

"Can't hear you."

"But you can understand me right?"

"Yes." He coughed and quickly both of his hands flew towards his head. He placed a hand over each ear as he coughed. His face showed the pain he was suffering from.

Sara grabbed a small plastic cup and put some water in it. She moved the cup to his lips when the coughing had subsided.

"Drink."

He took the cup and let the soothing liquid slide down his throat. When he finished he looked at her.

"Sara you don't have to babysit me."

"I'm hear because I want to be. Besides you need me."

"No I don't." His eyes widened the minute the words left his mouth.

Sara's eyes got just as big, but hers filled with hurt.

"Fine." She stood and quickly walked out.

Walking as fast as her legs could carry her, she made it to her car. But instead of opening the door, she kicked it. The force she put behind the kick left a dent in the side of the truck.

"Shit. Oh well."

She climbed in and drove to the lab. With every passing block and with every stop light changing as she approached her temper flared. When she finally reached the lab she never attempted to calm her self down. She never said a word as she walked into the break room and sat down.

Nick looked at Warrick. Warrick looked at Greg. Greg looked at Catherine. They all knew the volcano was going to erupt, the question was when. Then the answer walked in.

"Ok. Well I guess Catherine you are now officially supervisor of the night shift. Congratulations. Here are the assignments for tonight. I'm sure that we will all miss Grissom. It's too bad about what happened."

The three turned and looked at Sara. It was like watching a train wreck. No one wants to see it, but you just can't look away. Sara stood firm as she approached Ecklie.

"Too bad hun. Well for your information Conrad, The chances that he will regain his hearing are better than fifty percent."

"Yeah, well that's not saying much. Besides you should know that in order to be a CSI in the field you need to be able to hear. It's not rocket science Sara."

"No, cause if it took rocket science to be a lab director you would of stood no chance. You may have a political brain, but when it comes to people Ecklie you suck. How's that saying go, oh yeah. 'When they were handing out brains you thought they said trains, and was last in line"

"Sidle, your on one month, unpaid suspension. Maybe with no paycheck you'll change your attitude."

"Attitude. You want to talk about attitude." She stepped into his face. "I'll show you an attitude."

Catherine nodded to Nick who quickly jumped up to haul Sara out of the room. But he was too late. Sara swung and caught Ecklie off guard. He stumbled back into the chair witch caused him to fall to the ground. Nick was taking Sara out of the room when Ecklie got back to his feet.

"Sidle your fired. I don't ever want to see your face in this lab again. You got that!"

"Go fuck yourself Conrad!"

Nick held his firm grip on her as he escorted her outside. And once outside Sara wasn't done venting.

She kept ranting and raving about Ecklie. Nick stood and watched her pace, point, and yell. But once she was done commenting on him, the issue turned to Grissom. Now the truth came out. Nick held her as her body shook with fear.

"What happens if he doesn't recover? I don't think he'll love me any more."

"Sara, he does love you. He's got to be scared out of his mind right now. If I was in his shoes I would be terrified."

He wrapped his arms tighter around her and she held him.

"Why don't you go home and try to get some rest. Your mind has been working overtime and it's beginning to wear on you physically."

He walked her to her car.

"Sara. I can understand why you hit Ecklie. But the Denali? What did it ever do to you?"

She smiled as she opened the door and climbed in. Then headed home.

TBC


	17. Chapter 17

Nick quickly walked back into the lab in search of Catherine. He needed to tell her what Sara had told him. And once he found her, he told her everything.

"Looks like we need to call in the big guns."

"The what?"

"You'll see Nick."

Catherine made her way to Grissoms office. She sat behind the desk and opened the top drawer. Once she found what she was looking for she was on the phone. Her first call was to the airlines. The second went through to Marina Del Rey, California. If anyone could get his attention it was his mother.

As promised several days later Grissom was relaeased from the hospital. Although the bandages were gone, his hearing remained gone as well. He was gathering his belongings when he felt he was being watched. Turning, he saw Brass standing in the door.

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm your ride. You pissed off your girlfriend again so I'm here to take you home."

It took a moment for Grissom to respond as he tried to process what Brass was saying. It had been several years since he had to read lips. And he was a bit rusty.

"Fine. I'm ready."

"Good lets go."

Brass drove Grissom to his townhouse. Sara's car was not in the driveway and for a moment he was relieved. But the reality of it was that of all the times that he needed her, it was now he needed her the most. He turned to face Brass when he tapped his arm.

"Are you ok?"

"Yeah, thanks for the lift."

Grissom climbed out of the car and slowly walked to his front door. He inserted the key and entered. The smell of her flooded his senses as he walked through the house. He checked the bathroom, her things were still neatly organized on the vanity. Grissom moved to the master bedroom and checked the closet. Her clothes were still neatly hanging. He sighed loudly. At least she hadn't totally given up on him yet.

He went into the kitchen and made himself a cup of hot tea, then settled into the sofa with a book. While he was reading Sara walked in. She wasn't ready to face him yet, so she kept out of his line of sight and made her way into the bedroom to grab a change of clothes. Before she left she stood at the door and watched him for a minute. In a way he looked peaceful. But she knew that he was dying inside. At that moment she felt pity for him. She walked out hoping that soon he would realize how much he did need her.

A few hours later Catherine opened his door and let herself in. She set the luggage she toted into the guest bedroom. She then turned and left, leaving his mother standing in the entryway.

Abigail Grissom walked into the bathroom. Instantly she noticed the feminine products on the vanity. Catherine had attempted to fill her in on what was going on between Grissom and Sara. But the minute she said that it was a possibility that he would be deaf and was losing Sara at the same time, she instantly knew he needed her help.

She finished and walked into the living room. Grissom had fallen asleep sitting up. She stood and watched him for a second then decided that he needed to deal with his problems instead of sleeping. Instead of waking him gently she kicked his shin.

Grissom awoke with a start. The shocked look on his face said it all.

/:Mom:/ he signed. /:What are you doing here?:/

/:I should be asking you the same question.:/

/:What are you talking about?:/

/:Catherine called me. I know everything.:/

/:Define everything.:/

/:Your hearing. Sara. Gil don't screw up the best thing that has ever happened to you.:/

He sat and let her words sink in. Sara was the best thing that has happened to him. And he has done nothing but drive her away.

/:I know. But I don't know how to fix it. I screwed up big time.:/

/:Gil, from what Catherine has told me, Sara loves you. So much in fact that she lost her job over it.:/

/:What?:/

/:I don't know the details. Catherine just told me that she was fired standing up for you. That sounds like love to me.:/

He didn't respond.

/:I need to go.:/

Grissom jumped up and hurried out the door. He pulled out his cell and sent Catherine a text message.

'Where are you? We need to talk. GG.'

As he climbed into his Denali his phone vibrated in his hand.

'At the lab. C.'

He text back, 'Stay put. I'm on my way.'

Catherine looked at her phone confused. Warrick and Nick walked into the break room to bid another shift farewell.

"What's with the look?"

"That was Gil. He's coming in to talk to me. About what I don't know."

"He call you?"

"No. Text message."

"Didn't he just get out of the hospital today?" Nick asked.

"Yeah. I dropped his mother off at his place an hour ago. I'm sure he wants to talk about Sara."

"Well good luck with that. I'm outta here. Later."

"Bye Nick. So Warrick, want to stay and help me?"

"No thanks. I'm beat. Without Griss and Sara, last night was rough. See you tonight."

Catherine watched them leave and finished her paper work. Just as she stood to leave when Grissom appeared at the door.

"My office."

He turned and never waited for her to answer. She followed him to his office. Grissom was standing in front of his desk.

"Shut the door please."

Catherine turned and shut the door then took a seat infront of him.

"I can read lips but it's been a while so you will have to be patient with me. What happened that caused Sara to get fired?"

"Well, she came in very upset. More like pissed off. Then Ecklie came in and told me that I was going to be in charge since you well, you know. And she went off on him."

"Ok. Went off how?"

"Well...she back talked him, he suspended her, then said something about her attitude, then she cold cocked him."

Grissom smiled. He couldn't help himself, he only wished that he had been there to see it.

"I had Nick drag her outside that's when the anger came out against you."

"I know. I hurt her again. I didn't mean to."

"Gil, you never mean to, you just do it. A relationship is about two people. Both have to work at it. She's willing to be there for you, and right now you need her."

"I know."

They sat in silence for a minute till Grissom spoke again.

"I'll talk to the sheriff about me and Sara. But I need your help with Sara."

Catherine smiled.

"Gladly."

TBC


	18. Chapter 18

First things first. Grissom went over to P.D. to arrange a meeting with the Sheriff. Unfortunately he was out of town, so he would have to wait. He drove himself home thinking of how he could prove to Sara that he truly and deeply loved her.

Once he arrived home he found his mother cleaning house. She had been deaf for so long that her other senses were finely tuned and she was aware of his presence.

/:So, are you going to try to fix this? Or just sit back and watch her walk out of your life.:/

/:I have to fix this. I don't think that I can live without her.:/

He went over to his computer and accessed his bank records. He smiled when he saw that Sara had been drawing small amounts of money from the savings account. The dates of the withdraws corresponded with his time in Alaska. He knew that she used the money on takeout. This brought a smile to his face. He then checked his other accounts and stocks.

His mother walked over and tapped his shoulder. He jumped at the contact.

/:Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you.:/

/:I'm fine. Guess this is just going to take some getting used to.:/

/:Don't give up yet. Anyway, do you know where she is?:/

He had to think. If she wasn't staying here or with anyone else they knew that meant...the thought that came to his head was unpleasant.

/:I see jealously. She's staying with another man isn't she?:/

Grissom pursed his lips and raised an eyebrow.

/:Yes, but I don't know where he lives.:/

/:You're a cop. You can find him.:/

/:I'm not a cop.:/

/:Yeah, yeah. Whatever.:/

She went about her cleaning. Grissom thought for a moment and checked his watch. Brass would be at home asleep. Catherine was still at the lab. He reached for his phone and text her again.

'Cath, do you know where Sara is staying? Or where I can find a Lucas...I guess I don't know a last name. He's a friend of her's from Frisco. GG'

He sat patiently and waited. Several minutes later his phone vibrated and he checked the message.

'Yes I know where they both are. But your on a need to know basis, and you don't need to know right now. Why do you want his address anyway?'

He quickly text back.

'I want to send her some flowers and arrange for us to have dinner together.'

Grissom was forced to wait again. Damn this sucked. He prayed that his hearing would return. Temporary deafness wouldn't be a problem, but permanent. He didn't think he could handle it. At least without Sara.

The phone vibrated again.

'I'll arrange all of that for you. When's your appointment?'

'In 4 days.'

Waiting.

'Ok. So lets plan for dinner in 3 days. I'll send her something today. That way we can all make arrangements. Hang in there Gil, we are all here to help.'

He cracked a small smile and put away his phone. Three days. What on earth was he going to do with himself for three days. Deciding that he needed to stop hiding from the world and her, he went to the shower.

Once clean and toweled off, he looked in the mirror at himself. He couldn't decide whether Sara liked him with or without the beard. After several minutes he came to the conclusion that he like it when she would slowly move her hand over his smooth cheek. So off it came once again.

He dressed and informed his mother that he was off to get a hair cut. She eyed him suspiciously for a second, then smiled her approval. Grissom walked to the small barber shop several blocks away. For the last 15 years the same elderly man had cut his hair.

Once that was done, he decided that he needed an outfit that would impress Sara. He knew that she had a thing for him in suits. But that selection was limited in his closet. And she had seen them all. He walked back thinking. As cars drove by he strained himself to hear them roar by. Glancing at his watch he noticed that it was four in the afternoon already. So he sent Catherine another text.

'I need a new suit for dinner with Sara. Help. GG'

He rounded the corner only a block away from his house when he noticed a flower delivery van leaving the house on the corner.

"Someone's getting flowers. I wonder what Catherine has in mind for Sara."

Little did he know, the van had just delivered flowers to Sara.

Lucas set the large vase on the dining room table. Once Sara was out of the shower he hollered at her to join him. She walked into the room and her mouth dropped open.

The small table held a vase that was overflowing with red roses.

"They're for you." he said as he handed her the card that came with them.

She opened it and read it to herself.

'Have dinner with me. I know it's not much, but I do need you Sara. I love you. Please tell Catherine what you decide and she will fill you in on the rest. Love Gil.'

Tears filled her eyes as she handed Lucas the card. He read it and waited for her response.

"What are you going to do Sara? The man loves you. This is a very difficult time for him. He is understanding that it's also hard on you. It's not much, but it's a start."

She looked at him and nodded. The words were caught in her throat. He hugged her and handed her the phone. She quickly dialed Catherine's number.

"Willows."

"Cath, it's Sara."

"Hey, what's up?"

"Oh, I think you know what's up."

"Yes, please don't hold this against him. It's hard for him right now. But he sent me a message wanting to find you and send you flowers and arrange for a dinner date. But he thought since he can't hear that he couldn't do it. I guess I felt bad for him. But those are his words on the card."

"I know. Tell him that I would love to have dinner with him."

"Ok, dress formally. If you want I can take you shopping. And on Friday at seven he will pick you up. How's that sound?"

"Great, I might need help with the whole shopping thing tho."

"I gotcha covered. How about after shift I take you out and we find you a 'Give a man a heart attack dress'?"

"Sounds good." Sara giggled into the phone.

"Great. I'll see you in the morning."

She hung up the phone and smiled. Then she turned to Lucas.

"I have a date Friday night."

"Bout damn time."

TBC


	19. Chapter 19

Catherine ended her shift and headed over towards Grissoms. She knocked on the door then thought to herself. 'Duh. Like two deaf people can hear the door.' So she let herself in.

She didn't see anyone at first. But when she entered the living room she noticed Grissom. He was oddly putting a cd into the radio. He hunched over placing his ear next to the speaker, and slowly began to turn up the volume. When the decibel level reached a high enough level for Catherine she walked over and tapped his shoulder.

Grissom jumped at the sudden contact, and turned to face Catherine who was turning off the stereo.

"Sorry."

She smiled. "Did you hear anything?"

The look on his face told her.

"Don't worry. It will take some time. I'm taking Sara shopping."

"Oh, right."

He retreated to his bed room and grabbed his wallet.

"This should do." he said handing Catherine a credit card.

"How much can I spend?"

"As much as you want on her."

Catherine smiled and walked out. She got into her Denali and drove it to the end of the block and got out again. But before she knocked on the door Lucas opened it.

"Hi Sara will be ready in a minute. I'm off to the office. Have fun."

"Oh we will."

Sara and Catherine headed into town. The did a little window shopping at first, then when they came upon several high end stores they browsed within. Catherine had Sara try on several different dresses. After hours of shopping they both agreed on one.

It was a cream colored sleeveless gown. It fit Sara like a glove showing off all of her curves, and a slit up the side that went clear to her hip. Catherine grabbed a pair on heels that matched.

"I feel like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman."

"Well the dress looks similar."

When Sara saw the price tag she flipped.

"Whoa, I can't afford this."

"Don't worry. Your not buying it."

Sara watched as they swiped the card and Catherine sign Grissoms name. She inwardly smiled. He was going out on a limb for her. Good, that's the way she wanted it.

When Sara returned home she was exhausted. And in two days she was hoping to be reunited with Grissom. She put her new things away and went to go for a jog to clear her head.

Grissom had lunch with his mother then headed to the Sheriff's office. There were many things he needed to discuss. When he arrived the secretary escorted him straight in.

"Gil, I must say that I am glad to see you. How are you, and what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"

"As you know I can't hear. So when you speak, try to talk a little slower and look at me. I can read lips but it's been a while."

The Sheriff repeated himself so Grissom could understand.

"I am fine. I want to talk about my future here at the lab and about the fireing of Sara Sidle."

"Gil, from what I read in the report, she was rightfully terminated. We can't have people like that running around here. I'm sorry but there is nothing I can do for her."

Grissom pursed his lips and sat back. That was not what he wanted to hear.

"Gil, I know that you love your work. You are a great asset to this lab. Maybe right now you can still run your shift, but only from the lab. Take this time to recover, and then we will see about what we can do for you."

Sighing loudly Grissom understood. His future in this lab or in any lab was on the rocks. But if he could make things right with Sara, work was the last thing on his mind. He stood and shook hands with the Sheriff.

"Thank you for your time."

Grissom made his way through the halls towards his office. The normal hustle and bustle of the lab was a painful silence to him. Once in the confides of his office he closed the door. He knew he shouldn't be here but sitting at home was driving him nuts. So he opened a folder and began to read over the case file before signing his name.

Nick and Warrick were heading towards the break room when they stopped and glanced into his office. In stead of smiling, their faces showed remorse. They felt bad for Grissom. He had his hearing fixed only to have it taken away again years later.

When they entered the break room Catherine couldn't help but look at their faces.

"Hey what's the problem with you two?"

Warrick replied, "Griss is in his office doing paperwork."

"What?!"

She jumped up and headed to his office. Catherine stopped before entering and watched him through the blinds. Others passing paused to look at him before continuing on their way. Her heart sunk and she slowly walked in. She flashed the lights to get his attention.

"What are you doing here?"

"The Sheriff basically said that I don't have a job as a CSI anymore. But he said I could push paper and consult on cases. I don't want to do that Catherine."

"I know Gil."

She walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders to embrace him.

"I'll be fine Catherine. But if Sara won't take me back..." His voice caught.

Catherine turned him and looked at his face.

"Gil, she still loves you. Just let your heart guide you."

He smiled.

"I have everything taken care of Friday night. As long as your credit card clears."

"Funny."

TBC


	20. Chapter 20

The next two days flew by for Sara. She spent the days helping Lucas finish setting up his office. And before she knew it, it was five o'clock on the fateful Friday evening.

She spent the remaining time getting ready taking her time not to miss any detail. But she didn't realize how much time she had spent until Lucas knocked on the door to remind her.

"Sara, you have 15 minutes. Are you ready yet?"

"Crap." she yelled.

"I'll take that as a no. Well hurry up."

When she walked into the living room Lucas's mouth dropped.

"So, how do I look?"

"Wow."

"Good, that's the response I was hoping for."

Then a knock came on the door. Her heart jumped and began to race. This was it. Grissoms last chance. And she meant it this time. She opened the door.

"Ma'am. Your limo awaits." the driver said then turned and retreated towards the long black stretch.

Sara hesitated and followed. But stopped before reaching the car. The driver opened the back door and Grissom stepped out. The sight of him made her knees weak.

He was dressed in a black suit with an impossibly blue shirt that brought out the color in his eyes. His tie was the same color as her dress. She was speechless. Only when he spoke up she came out of her trance.

"Sara, would you accompany me to dinner?" He held out his hand to her.

For a moment she hesitated. Not because she didn't want to, but she was still stunned at his effort to get her back.

"I'd love too."

She took his hand and they entered the car. They sat in silence to the restaurant. Catherine had arranged for a private room at the Tangiers restaurant. They were escorted to the back and given menus. Grissom ordered a bottle of wine then looked at Sara. When the waiter returned with the wine they ordered.

They sat at a small table within an arms reach of each other. Sara smiled as she sipped her wine.

"You didn't have to..." she stopped as Grissoms hand picked up her chin.

"Sara, I know this is going to take time for both of us. When you talk, you need to look at me."

She looked into his eyes as the tears filled hers. It was eating her up inside that he might not ever be able to hear again.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't ever be sorry Sara. As long as I have you, I'm not. You are all that matters to me. I am sorry it's taken me this long to truly discover that."

Their food arrived.

"Come on. You need to eat a real meal. Lets just enjoy tonight."

She smiled and they ate. When she wanted to say something she made sure he was looking at her. As the evening went on it became less of a challenge for them to communicate.

The lights dimmed slightly cuing Grissom. He stood and held his hand out to her.

"Dance with me?"

She took his hand, and he pulled her to his feet. Sara thought she recognized the song but when she noticed the small monitor in the corner, it was then she realized it was for Grissom. She could hear the words and music, and he swayed her and sang along reading off of the monitor.

_There was a time._

_I was everything and nothing all in one_

_When you found me_

_I was feeling like a cloud across the sun_

_I need to tell you_

_How you light up every second of the day_

_But in the moonlight _

_You just shine like a beacon on the bay_

_And I can't explain_

_But it's something about the way you look tonight_

_Takes my breath away_

_It's that feeling I get about you deep inside_

_And I can't describe_

_But it's something about the way you look tonight_

_Takes my breath away_

_The way you look tonight_

_With a smile_

_You pull the deepest secrets from my heart_

_In all honesty_

_I'm speechless and I don't know where to start_

_And I can't explain_

_But it's something about the way you look tonight_

_Takes my breath away_

_It's that feeling I get about you deep inside_

_And I can't describe_

_But it's something about the way you look tonight_

_Takes my breath away_

_The way you look tonight_

Sara let his words sink in as she swayed with him. The effort and planning that he had put into this evening was astonishing. And when the song ended she pulled back to look at him.

"I love you."

"I love you too Sara."

He pulled her back into him and held her for several more minutes.

"Sara, please come home. I miss you."

She raised her head and said into his ear, "Yes."

Grissom felt her breath against his ear but heard no sound. He sighed. Sara pulled away and gave her answer again. And he smiled.

They walked back to the limo arm in arm. The driver took them back to their house. Grissom tipped the driver and escorted Sara to the front door. He stopped her before they entered.

"Sara, I'm not expecting anything but your company tonight."

She placed her arms around he neck and pulled herself up to kiss him. They made their way into the house and when Sara pulled away, she saw the look in his eyes that she had been missing. They were full of love and passion.

"Make love to me Grissom."

She led him back to their room and closed the door.

TBC

The song I used is one of my favorites by Sir Elton John, Something about the way you look tonight. It's a great song.


	21. Chapter 21

Grissom laid in bed with a sleeping Sara curled up into his side. He turned his head and kissed her hair. His brain was racing, thinking of the one thing that every other man never thinks about after sleeping with a woman. 'What if she gets pregnant again?'

He didn't want to see his child grow up without hearing his voice. Or put the added stress onto the poor kid to have to learn sign language to communicate with it's father. But as he felt Sara stir in his arms, he decided to keep his insecurities to himself. And they would cross that bridge when they got there.

He slithered out and away from Sara to go into the kitchen. Abigail was making coffee and fixing breakfast. Grissom sat at the breakfast bar and watched her. Then he felt a pair of hands slide up his back and soft lips pressing onto his cheek. His mother smiled at the exchange between the two. She signed to Grissom.

/:You two were meant for each other.:/

Sara looked at Grissom. "What did she say?"

"She said we were meant for each other."

"Oh. When's your appointment?"

Grissom checked his watch.

"In two hours. Care to join me in the shower after breakfast?"

Sara smiled as she was handed a plate of scrambled eggs and toast. Grissom smiled back.

She sat with him in the waiting room at Dr. Roth's office. And finally when they called his name, she nudged him and they followed the nurse. Sara watched as Grissom was poked and prodded by the nurse. She knew he hated every minute of it. They took his temperature, blood pressure, reflexes, the whole nine yards.

"Stop it."

"Stop what?"

"Your laughing."

Sara released her smile she had been trying to hold in.

"I just think it's cute."

"You have a weird sense of humor."

Just then Dr. Karen Roth entered, and Sara stood beside Grissom as he sat on the table.

"Gil, Sara. Lets have a look see."

She examined his ears.

"Everything looks like it's healing well. Still can't hear?"

Grissom shook his head.

"Well lets give it another week. Come back next week and if there is still no change we can start discussing other options."

Sara watched as the little hope Grissom carried with him, burned out. He was giving up and she couldn't let him.

"Thank you Doctor." Sara said.

She put her hand on his face and turned it so he could see her.

"Come on. Lets go home."

Grissom stood and walked out with Sara at his side. She was heading home when he spoke up.

"Can you drop me off at the lab?"

"Yeah."

Sara had no idea why he wanted to go there, but since they were living together he needed a new place to retreat from the world. His office was all that was left. She understood him totally. After leaving him at the lab she made her way to a certain psychiatrist office.

Grissom made his way to his office unnoticed. He started in on the small stack of files when he noticed an envelope propped up in front of his computer. He opened it and read the note, immediately noticing the handwriting.

'Grissom,

Just want to let you know how happy we are for you and Sara. We would all like to get together sometime for breakfast or whatever. No matter what happens, just know that we are all here for you. You will always be the glue that holds this team together. So even if you are not in the field with us, knowing that you are here when we need you keeps us going. In the past you have sacrificed yourself at one time or another for one of us, now let us return the favor. We will always be 'your team', 'your family'.

We all love you Griss,

Catherine, Warrick, Nick, Greg, Archie, Al, and David'

He smiled as he neatly put the letter back into the envelope and into his desk and continued his paperwork.

Sara sat with Lucas while he was interviewing a possible secretary when her cell phone announced a text message.

'Can you come and get me?'

She told Lucas that she had to go and excused herself to fetch Grissom. When she arrived at the lab he wasn't waiting out front. And after her bout with Ecklie she didn't want to go inside so she stood in front of the Denali and waited. And while she was waiting you know who walked out.

Sara tried to ignore him but he was itching to push her buttons. As he neared she noticed Grissom walk out and begin to walk up behind Ecklie. Grissom caught up to him before he reached Sara. He grabbed his shoulder and Ecklie stopped in shock.

"Now Conrad, you wouldn't be thinking of provoking her into doing something stupid, now would you."

He passed on by without letting Ecklie respond. When he reached Sara, he leaned in and kissed her before they left. And he made sure that Ecklie saw it. They both entered the vehicle and Sara steered it towards home.

Grissoms mother stayed for a few extra days and helped him set up some things around the house that would make him aware of everyday things. He would know when the phone rang, or when someone was at the door. She even taught Sara some basic sign language. Sara was more than anxious to learn. The week flew by and before they knew it, here they were. Back in Dr. Roth's examination room.

While Grissom sat on the examination table awaiting the results of his tests, Sara stood next to him and had her arms wrapped around him for comfort. Neither moved the whole time constantly drawing strength from each other.

Dr. Roth entered to deliver the news. Sara refused to let Grissom go as she felt him draw in a large breath and hold it. This was the moment of truth.

TBC


	22. Chapter 22

_Thank you to my faithful reviewers. I am so happy that you are enjoying this story. I was going to end it with this chapter but belive it or not I had a vision while out riding my horse and had to keep going with it. I hope you are still reading._

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Grissom sat in silence on his couch. He released the breath he was holding when Sara sat curled up next to him, and wrapped her arms around him. She gently kissed his cheek and laid her head on his shoulders.

Dr. Roth said that since everything was healing better than expected, she didn't want to risk any more damage by doing another procedure. The first thought that went through Grissoms mind was, 'I'm never going to hear again.'

Sara pulled back to study his face. She could tell that he was in some deep important thought. And she knew exactly what he was thinking. It was the same thing on her mind. Life has sure delt them a crappy hand. With all she has been through since she was a child, and now this. And she could say the same about Grissom. Maybe this was one of life's big tests. If they could get through all of the obstacles in their lives up to this point, they could get through anything.

She moved to straddle his lap, and cupped his face in her hands. He looked up into her eyes as she attempted to sign. At first Grissom was confused as to what she was trying to say. He furrowed his eyebrows and she leaned forward and said into his ear.

"Lets get married."

Grissom pulled back stunned. And the look on his face brought Sara a glimmer of hope.

"Say that again, only a little louder." Confused for a moment Sara did.

"Lets get married." this time she spoke louder.

And when she leaned back to look at him, his smile told her what she was praying for.

"I heard you. It was very soft, and I don't know what you said, but I heard your voice."

The excitement was spilling from him as he spoke. And Sara couldn't help but crash her lips into his. A small starter to the celebration that they had.

Later that evening Grissom drove himself to work. She had gone out for a run before he left, and he hated the fact that Sara wouldn't be at the lab anymore. It was something that they would have to discuss later. When he approached his office he saw that the lights were already on and a figure moved from behind the shelves. This was officially his first night back and Catherine was up to her usual tricks. So he went straight to the break room instead.

When he was close enough to see through the glass, he stopped dead in his tracks. His office was safer after all. Everyone had gathered in the small room to welcome him back. Knowing he had been spotted and a hasty retreat was useless, he proceeded to get this over with.

Everyone greeted him with hand shakes and hugs. But when he noticed Catherine's eyes wander to the door then back to him, he knew who was responsible for this. Grissom turned to see Sara leaning in the doorway. They walked up to each other closing the short distance quickly. He pulled her to him for a deep kiss of gratitude. Then he shocked everyone surrounding him and gave a little speech. Very un-Grissom like.

"I should have figured that this would happen. So I'll get straight to the point, slowly but surely I'll be able to hear again." And everyone smiled and spoke their congratulations. "As you know I'll just be strictly in the lab, unless there is a case that requires my attention. I want to thank you all for your support. I know I'm not the best person in the world when it comes to asking for help, but I appreciate it knowing that you are there." He turned to Sara and signed 'Thank you.' then leaned in and kissed her again.

Catherine waved her arms to get his attention.

"Hey how do you know that you will hear again? Did you get good news from the doctor or something?"

He sat and thought briefly about the sound he heard this morning.

"The most astonishing thing about miracles is that they happen."

Warrick couldn't help himself, "Ok, I'll bite, who said it?"

"G. K. Chesterton."

"Well I have a little quote of my own for everyone's amusement." Catherine spoke proudly.

Grissom watched her speak.

"It's never good to get between a woman and a food item containing sugar."

Everyone but Nick got it.

"Who said that?"

She stood tall and threw her shoulders back, "Catherine Willows. Now can we cut the cake and eat."

They all sat and had a piece of cake but it was short lived when the unexpected arrival of the Sheriff brought all the fun to a halt. Grissom never saw him walk up or heard him say his hello's but, he noticed Catherine pointing her finger subtlety over his shoulder.

"Why Sheriff, what brings you out this time of night?"

"I need to speak with you Gil." His voice was very stern and sincere.

"Ok, I'll meet you in my office."

Nodding he headed towards Grissoms office. Grissom turned back and cleared his throat. That was everyone's cue to get with the program.

"Here's tonight's assignments, Catherine would you hand them out." he stood and headed out.

He walked into his dimly lit office and took a seat behind the desk. He noticed the Sheriff kept looking at the door and knew that something was up.

"Gil, I need you to do something for me."

"Ok."

"I need you too..." the sheriff turned his head back and look to the door again.

Grissom slammed his hand down on his desk causing Ben to snap his head back with a stunned look on his face. He signed as he spoke.

"Can't hear you. Look at me when your talking, not the door. If your concerned about someone seeing you in here, shut the blinds."

Ben sat back and then stood swiftly moving to the blinds to close them. Grissom raised an eyebrow and thought about his actions.

"Sorry, I keep forgetting. Can you hear anything at all?"

"I heard Sara's voice this morning. She spoke directly into my ear. I didn't hear words but it's a start."

"Yes I suppose. Look I know about your relationship with Miss Sidle. I know that you want her to get her job back." Grissom nodded his understanding. "I need help. Maybe we can compromise."

"What kind of help?"

"I have reason to believe that Conrad Ecklie has been skimming the money given to the lab as grants and funding. Most of that money we receive because of you."

"What kind of evidence do you have to even humor such an idea?"

"I asked for a statement from a contributor. The amount on their recorded statement does not match the amount Ecklie signed for. It was several thousand short. So I requested more statements, and each one was two to three thousand short from what Ecklie signed off on."

"How long do you think he's been at this?"

"Just this past year. But with all the money we should have received and what was put in, nearly $15,000 is unaccounted for."

"Whew." Grissom sat back into his chair and locked both hands behind his head. "Give me what you have and I'll see what I can do."

"Thanks Gil. And if you figure this out for me, I'll make it worth your wild."

Ben shook Grissoms hand and quickly left. The first thing that came to mind was getting Sara's job back.

TBC


	23. Chapter 23

_Merry Christmas all. Again thanks to those who are reviewing. It's very gratifying for an author to get reviews I think. I try to review all the stories I read, and so should you. Here's my next chapter. Enjoy._

Grissom checked his clock, it read 3 am. He looked out into the halls from behind his desk and saw Catherine approaching. She smiled as she took a seat and handed him a large manilla envelope.

"Judy gave this to me to give to you. It's from the Sheriff."

"Oh."

And he quickly tucked the envelope into his briefcase. Catherine had a semi-confused look on her face.

"And these are your messages." She handed him a small stack of notes.

He took them and began to read over each one briefly, making an appropriate pile for each one. Out of the stack she noticed that he only kept 5 messages and the rest he threw away. Once she had his attention again she continued.

"What are you going to do about filling Sara's position?"

"I'm not going to fill it just yet."

"Come on Gil. With you stuck behind a desk and her gone, I don't have to tell you what's going to happen."

"Don't worry Catherine. I'll think of something."

"Well you had better start thinking a lot faster." She stood and walked out.

He thought for a moment then moved to the door closing it and the blinds. On second thought he locked the door also. No one needed to know what he was doing as he retrieved the envelope from Sheriff Burdick.

After a few hours of going over the information given to him, he knew he could get Ecklie's ass in a sling. It was a gift from God. He may have taken his hearing but he was going to gain something in return. The lab would be free and clear of Conrad Ecklie.

Once again Gil checked his watch, just after 5 in the morning. He knew Sara would be up and decided to call it a day.

Grissom was fairly tired as he walked up the steps to his house. It had been a while since he had been up all night. He was going to have to get used to that again. He opened the door and attempted to sneak in. Grissom stood silently in the doorway as the smell of eggs cooking flooded his nostrils. He moved to where he could see Sara. She was cooking breakfast and dancing. He concluded that she had the stereo on, and by the looks of it was singing. She turned to spoon her cooked eggs onto a plate, and never saw him standing in front of her as she swayed and sang along. Grissom got just close enough to read her lips as she sang.

"You can try to resist, try to hide from my kiss, but you know, but you know that you can't fight the moonlight, deep in the dark, you'll surrender your heart, but you know, but you know you can't fight moonlight." She looked up and jumped back dropping the pan in the process. "Damn Grissom, what are you trying to do give me a heart attack?"

"Sorry."

"You know just because you can't hear, doesn't mean you have to be so silent at everything else."

He furrowed his eyebrows at her.

"Just for your information I was trying to be quiet. Looks like I succeeded."

She heard the anger rise in his voice and realized what she said was uncalled for.

"Griss, I'm sorry. It's just that you scared the be-Jesus out of me and..." She dropped her head to look at the pan she dropped on the floor.

Grissom walked around the breakfast bar and picked it up for her. He set it on the counter then pulled her into his chest and wrapped his arms around her.

"Sara, I should be the one apologizing. I was just trying to see what you were singing. Since I can't hear you I just wanted to see you sing and enjoy yourself."

He felt her body shudder and felt the quick hot breath of a sob on his neck.

"Honey, please don't cry. It's alright." he pulled her back and looked at her face. She still refused to look at him, but the redness around her eyes gave her away. "Sara, look at me please. It's ok. This is hard on both of us, but we need each other to get through this."

She began to cry harder and all he could do was hold her until she settled down. Once Sara had regained control of her body she looked up at Grissom as he spoke.

"Your eggs are cold. How about I make us omelettes for breakfast?"

He wiped her eyes dry and she nodded. After they ate Grissom went to bed and Sara laid with him until she was sure he was asleep. She crawled out of bed in search of something to do. So she started picking things up.

She picked up his briefcase and moved it over into his study and laid it on his desk. The envelope slid out and fell to the floor. Sara bent to pick it up and as she read who it was from, her curiosity got the best of her. Hoping that it was about her job she pulled the contents out and placed them on the desk. Her mouth dropped open as she read through the papers.

"Damn." was the only word that she found appropriate at the time. She was about halfway through the files when she felt his presence. Without moving her head, she moved her eyes just enough to see his bare feet on the floor in the doorway. "Busted." She knew he didn't hear her but she had to say it out loud.

"Sara, what are you doing?"

She began to put the files back into the envelope and back into his briefcase. Then she slowly stood and pushed the chair in. Even though she wasn't watching him she knew he had moved and was now behind her. It was worse than getting your hand caught in the cookie jar at grandma's house. He loomed behind her, almost making contact. But he was close enough she could feel the heat radiating off of his body. She gulped, raised her head, and turned to face her executioner.

"I asked what are you doing?"

"It's not what it looks like."

"Oh really. Seeing you reading files from my briefcase is not what it looks like. Tell me Sara. What should it look like?"

She knew she had to look at him in order for him to understand her. And it took every ounce of energy she had to do so.

"I brought your briefcase in here, set it on the desk. The envelope slid out and when I saw it was from the sheriff I was hoping maybe you got me my job back."

"But that's not what's in there."

"Hun. You got that right. Let me help you with it please. I know this is under the table from everyone else. So why not let me help."

"No."

"Please Griss."

She laced her arms around his neck and pulled herself into him. God how she hated begging, but with him it seemed to work. It just depended on how much begging was necessary.

"Sara, no. I'm doing this because I was asked in confidence."

"And... I sense an and coming."

"And I wanted to use it to my advantage. When I can prove all of these accusations, I'm going to ask the Sheriff for your job back. That's if you want it back."

"Hell yes I want it back. I'm going stir crazy around here. But I want to help. I can do research online here during the day or maybe I can tail him. Yeah, I'll tail Ecklie for a few days see where he leads me."

"Down girl. I should be getting a warrant today for his financial records. Once I can track the paper trail it's, bye, bye Ecklie."

"Can I at least help?"

"Sara, I think that it would be better if you acted like you knew nothing about this."

"Please..."

"Stop begging. It's not going to work. Come on I need to catch up on some sleep."

She walked with him to the bedroom and watched him climb into bed. He held the covers up and she quickly moved under them as his arm bought them down over her. He held her as he fell asleep. But Sara was no where near asleep. In fact she was far from it. It took her a few minutes to free herself from his grasp. With every movement she was afraid he would wake up.

She silently closed the door and made her way to the computer. Like him she had a very good memory and began searching the internet for any additional information that had to do with the file on Ecklie.

TBC

FYI the song I had Sara singing is Can't Fight the Moonlight, by Leann Rimes.


	24. Chapter 24

_Again a shout out to all the people who reviewed. I have finished this story finally and have started a new one that was pestering me while at work this morning. I hope you will read my new story when I finally post it. Merry Christmas all._

Grissom woke to a slight buzzing noise in his ears. He rolled onto his back and placed both of his hands over his ears hoping to get rid of that annoying sound. It was unsuccessful. He sat up and realized that Sara wasn't with him. So he went in search of her.

She was dozing on the couch. But he noticed the computer monitor light flashing from his study. He crept onto the small dark room and closed the door. Grissom restarted the computer and began going through the stored internet files. He pursed his lips when he noticed that they had all been deleted.

"Clever girl."

She had looked up everything she possibly could while he was asleep. Grissom turned off the computer and went into the living room.

Sara was still asleep. So he sat on the coffee table and watched her sleep. He reached towards her and lightly rubbed his hand up and down her exposed forearm. She moaned and smiled in her sleep at his touch. She was obviously dreaming, and he hoped it included him.

"Mmm, Griss."

He watched as she moved to lay on her back. Grissom kept his hand gently stroking her arm. A slight smile made it's way onto her face as she finally woke up. Feeling his hand on her she turned her head to look at him. She saw conflict in his eyes and it worried her.

"Hey you." she said sleepily with a smile.

"Sara. I thought I told you to leave this thing with Ecklie alone."

She sat up and faced him. She knew he had no solid proof butt, sometimes a hunch was enough for Gil Grissom. Sara looked him straight in the eyes and sat up pushing her shoulders back.

"So what I may have done a little research of my own. It's not going to hurt anything. And besides, who will know that I have been helping you?"

"This is something that I don't want to get you involved in."

"Get me involved in? What are you talking about? It's just a little fraud job."

Grissom sighed and sat back his eyes never leaving hers. She was right, as usual.

"Come on. Enough with this." he stood and pulled her to up to her feet. "Get dressed, I want to take you out for dinner before I go to work."

He held the door open to the restaurant for her. They ate in a peaceful silence until Sara saw the look on Grissoms face fall.

"Damn it."

He reached for his phone. Once it was free of his pockets he checked the text message. It was from Catherine. He sighed and looked at Sara.

"Honey, I'm sorry. Can you take me to the lab? I'll make tonight up to you, I promise."

"Gil, it's ok. Don't forget, I know what your job entails."

Grissom placed more than enough money on the table and they stood and left.

Sara pulled up in front of the lab and Grissom turned towards her.

"I'll be home as soon as I can."

He leaned in and kissed her gently on the lips. Before he could pull back Sara slipped her tongue out to graze his bottom lip. Grissom moaned as he opened his mouth to invite her in. The rest of the world fell away to them. Only the knock on the window brought them back to reality. Grissom turned his head to see Catherine, Warrick, Nick, and Greg watching them.

He readjusted in his seat and cleared his throat.

"See you later."

Grissom got out and Sara pulled away. The looks on the faces that Grissom confronted as he headed toward the door made him blush. He walk past them and they couldn't help but smile as they followed him.

After they spent hours processing a crime scene with mulitple bodies near the lake, they had finally made it back to the lab and, all he wanted was to curl up into the arms of the one he loved. Grissom walked into his office, heavily sat down behind his desk, and lowed his head down onto his crossed arms. He sighed, closed his eyes, and before he knew it he was asleep.

Once Sara arrived at home she quickly changed in her pj's and stared at the door to Grissoms study. She wanted to help him, but knew at the moment it was a touchy subject. So instead, Sara sat on the couch and turned on the TV letting the luminance from the screen be her only light source. After watching for several hours she couldn't help herself and put the TV on mute and, turned on her scanner. She laid back on the couch and let the soft crackle coming out of the box lure her to sleep.

Sara was dreaming lightly when a recognizable voice echoed through the room. Suddenly she was awake.

"Control this is CSI Willows. Were wrapping up out here and heading to the lab. Grissom wants a few extras sent out to process the rest of the perimeter."

"Copy that."

Sara looked at her watch. 4 am. She jumped up. Grissom has to be exhausted she thought. Figuring the hours in her head she concluded that he had been out in the field for nearly 8 hours. She went to the bedroom changed her clothes and headed to the lab.

As she walked through the front doors she felt a chill run up her spine as she approached the front desk.

"Hi Judy."

"Well hi yourself Sara. What can I do for you?"

"I need to go to Grissoms office, but since I technically don't work here anymore I need a visitors badge."

"Not necessary. This time of morning there isn't anyone here anyway. Just go on ahead."

"Thanks."

She made her way towards his office attempting not to draw any unnecessary attention to herself. Finally she made it and opened the door. She smiled at the sight of him. He looked so peaceful. She closed the door and went in search of the others.

Warrick and Nick were in the break room munching on popcorn and watching TV.

"Taking a break?"

"Hey Sara. It's good to see you." Nick stood and hugged her.

Warrick patiently waited his turn and embraced her.

"Are you here to pick up Griss?"

"Yeah, but he's asleep. I figured I'm come say hi before I took him home."

"So Sara what do you do while your at home?"

"Nothing. It's driving me crazy. I've been thinking about getting a dog. At least I wouldn't be home alone. One big enough to go running with me."

Nick jumped up. "Oh man. I know just where you can get a great one. My dad's best friend raises border collies. Now that's a smart dog. He's got several finished ones for sale."

"Finished?"

"Yeah, they are a little over a year old and come fully trained."

"Really. Even when they are that old they can go to a new home and not have any problems."

"Yeah. Let me make a call for you and see how much they are." he jumped up and whipped out his phone before Sara could protest.

"Sara, you think Grissom would go for a dog?"

"No. But I plan on asking him. Hey do you guys want to go for breakfast?"

"I want to but with the number of DB's tonight, we are going to be pulling a double. Rain check?"

"I'll hold you to it."

"I'm sure."

"Tell Nick bye for me."

Sara stepped into the hallway and headed back to Grissoms office.

"Sidle!!"

"Shit. What's he doing here so early?" she said under her breath and stopped to face Ecklie.

"I thought I told you I never wanted to see you in this lab again."

"I'm just giving Grissom a ride home. That's all."

"You just don't get it do you." He grabbed his cell phone. "I need a uniform at CSI to arrest a trespasser."

"What the hell!"

"You are clearly trespassing. No visitors badge. No escort, just wandering around. For all I know you could be tampering with evidence."

At that moment an officer stepped out from around the corner.

"I want you to take Miss Sidle into custody for trespassing."

"Ma'am, please put your hands up against the wall."

Sara didn't budge.

"Ma'am, please."

He grabbed her arm and Sara quickly broke free.

"Don't touch me."

But he grabbed her arm more forcefully and Sara attempted to fight back. The commotion brought Nick and Warrick out of the break room and they were quickly at Sara's aid. But Ecklie stopped them.

"Don't. She's being placed under arrest."

"Nick go get Grissom."

He took off and Warrick helplessly watched the officer man handle Sara to the ground. Once she was on the ground he had her hands cuffed behind her back.

"Get her out of here." Ecklie ordered.

Nick rushed into Grissoms office and to his side.

"Griss, Griss."

He shook his shoulders attempting to rise his boss. Grissom woke up and with his eyes half closed tried to read what Nick was saying.

"Ecklie just had Sara arrested for being here."

"What?!"

Grissom jumped up and followed Nick. By the time they reached the place of interest Sara had already been taken away and, only Warrick remained.

TBC


	25. Chapter 25

Hope everyone had a merry christmas. I am finally going home for christmas friday. Yeay. Thanks to you who reviewed. I don't want to sound like a shmuck, but when I saw the preview to leaving las vegas, I just wanted to fall to the ground crying. I still can't belive he's going. I mean, he's Grissom for crying out loud. What's CSI without Grissom??

* * *

Warrick was a lot calmer than Nick as he explained the situation to Grissom. The more that he reviled to Grissom, the more he saw the anger rise in him.

"Get Catherine and tell her to meet me at the Sheriff's office now!"

And he stormed away. They were both quickly in search of Catherine.

When she finally made it to meet Grissom, he was pacing like a caged tiger. She knew that she shouldn't touch him at this moment but, she needed to calm him down. But before she had to the Sheriff showed up.

Catherine tapped Grissoms shoulder and he stopped to look at Ben.

"Gil, my secretary has filled me in. Don't worry. She'll be out within the hour."

Grissom felt some of his pent up anger go away in the breath that he released. Catherine grabbed his elbow and led him back to his office.

"Gil, go to her."

He made his way through the halls to lockup. Grissom signed his name in and was escorted to the cell Sara was pacing in.

"Sara."

"Grissom. Are you gonna get me out of here?"

"Yes, the Sheriff is clearing this up. You should be released shortly. Warrick told me what happened. Are you sure you are ok?"

"My arm is sore but, yeah I'll be fine."

He reached through the bars and took a hold of her arm to examine it more closely. Sara saw red in his eyes as he looked at the bruise forming on her forearm in the shape of a hand.

"Griss, I'll be fine."

She noticed a guard coming. He opened the door and let her out. Grissom pulled her into warm embrace.

Once home Sara went right to the shower. Even an hour in a jail cell was enough to make her feel as if she had rolled in mud. She stood under the hot spray for what seemed like forever. But as the water began to cool, it forced her out of the water. She wrapped a large towel around her fast cooling body and looked at her bruises in the mirror.

Without bothering to dress Sara went in search of Grissom. And as expected instead of sleeping he was working on the 'Ecklie' case. She stood in the doorway watching him look through paper. It was a good look on him she thought. His glasses perched on the end of his nose as he read. Sara moved to stand behind him, leaned in next to his ear. And without letting her breath hit his neck she said his name a little louder than she had wanted to.

"Grissom!"

He jumped sideways and looked wide eyed at her.

"Did you hear me?"

He thought for a second.

"I did."

"Did you hear what I said?"

"Yes. Yes I did. You said my name."

She wrapped her arms around him and squeezed as hard as she could. She pulled back and looked at him with a big smile.

"Can I get a dog?"

"What? No."

"Fine. Can I help with the case at hand."

"Once again, No."

She moved to straddle him. Grissom inhaled sharply as she put her arms around his neck. Sara had a plan in her mind but the ringing or her cell phone stopped her advances on him. As she moved off him, Grissom groaned at the loss of contact as she went to answer her phone.

He continued his work until he saw her standing in the doorway.

"Sara."

He stood and rushed over to her placing her hands on her bare shoulders.

"Sara. Honey what's wrong?"

"My mother."

"What? Your mother what?"

"She's dead. Apparent heart attack."

He pulled her into him. She didn't cry but he felt her body shake. And why would she cry for the person who killed her father. She pulled away to look at his face.

"That was my brother. He wants me to come home for the funeral. The Department of Corrections is releasing her body tomorrow."

"Sara, if you want to go, you don't need my permission. Take as long as you want."

He kissed her forehead.

"Thanks."

And she walked back to get dressed. Grissom sighed and returned to his desk.

Sara had been gone for three days and sent Grissom an e-mail to let him know that she would be a few days longer to visit with her brother. Grissom had replied back to tell her to take all the time she needed.

He sat back from his desk and was getting ready to go to work when he felt a small vibration at his feet. It took him a second to realize it was the doorbell. Grissom opened the door to see a large crate sitting on the ground and a delivery man holding a clip board.

"I have a delivery for a Sara Sidle."

"I'll sign for it."

Grissom scrawled his signature and looked down at the crate.

"Here's the instructions. Enjoy." And with that he turned and left Grissom standing in his doorway mouth agape.

He noticed an envelope that wasn't addressed and opened it.

'Sara, I hope you have gotten permission from Grissom, cause Warrick, Catherine, Greg and myself pitched in and got you what you wanted. You deserve a friend out side of the lab. Love ya, Nick.'

Grissom looked at the crate and continued to fish through the papers. When he found the 'instructions' he cursed.

"Damn them."

He walked around the front of the crate and kneeled down to look and a set of eyes looking back at him. Grissom shook his head and opened the small door and stepped back letting the black and white dog out. He stood and continued to read though the papers when he noticed the dog was sitting at his feet looking up at him.

"What? I have to go to work. You can come and I'll give you back to Nick."

Grissom went inside and the dog followed staying to his right.

"Stay here."

He went to his bedroom to change then to his study to gather his briefcase and, when he returned to the entryway he noticed the dog had not moved. Glancing through the hand written instructions that came with the dog he noticed that it already had a name.

"Zeke. Is that your name? Zeke?"

The dog wagged his tail and Grissom headed for the door.

"Let's go."

Grissom opened up the back door to the Denali. And Zeke jumped in and laid on the seat. Once at the lab Grissom went straight to the Sheriff's office to leave his evidence against Ecklie. Then he headed to the front desk to collect his messages. He tried to ignore the stares from everyone as they watched him walk through the halls with a dog at his side.

Grissom spent only enough time in his office to leave his things before heading off to hand out assignments. As he stepped out the office door he noticed Ecklie at the far end of the hall eyeing him. He looked back into his office at his briefcase. Surely he wouldn't he thought. Grissom looked down at his feet.

"Stay here."

He walked off leaving Zeke sitting in his doorway.

"Ok. First off. I'm sure Sara will want to thank you for the dog but you have to take him back. I can't have a dog at the house."

"Come on Griss. You have to admit that he's very well behaved."

" Yes, but that's not the point."

Just then they heard barking and they all jumped up to look into the hall. Grissom followed them and looked. He couldn't help but smile when he saw Zeke standing and barking at Ecklie.

As he approached Conrad he could tell that he wasn't just walking by.

"Lay down."

Immediately Zeke dropped.

"Damn it Gil what the hell is this?"

"It's a dog. Did you not know?"

"Funny. Get it out of my lab."

"I can't. So he's only here for today and is going to stay in my office."

"That thing's dangerous. All I did was try to go into your office."

"Well then he did his job."

"The Sheriff will hear about this, and I'll have your ass fired."

"You do that."

Ecklie turned and stormed off. Grissom handed assignments out in the hall and returned to behind his desk to start his paperwork. As he read through files he noticed Zeke raise his head out of the corner of his eye. Grissom looked up to see Catherine standing in the door.

"Is it ok to come in?" she pointed to Zeke.

"Yeah, he's fine. What can I do for you?"

She sat down. "I need to talk to a friend."

Catherine noticed that he was looking down at a file.

"Gil."she nearly yelled at him.

"Hun?"

Catherine sat back shocked.

"What?"

"Did you hear that?"

"Yes, it wasn't very loud. More like a whisper, but I heard it."

TBC


	26. Chapter 26

Just to clear somethings up, I got the idea for the dog while at work. At night I have to bring the sheep in and put the mules out. And sometimes the sheep aren't cooperating, I use a dog. My boss raises and trains border collies. They are wonderful dogs. His are for working or dog trials. They always stay to my right, and no matter who you are they listen. It's just way too cool at how smart they are. I just figued smart dog for a scientist.

* * *

Grissom arrived at the lab early the next evening, with Zeke in tow. He figured the dog had proven himself useful and decided to keep him around for Sara. He settled into the seclusion of his office when the Sheriff walked in.

"Hey, Ben."

"Gil." Grissom didn't like his facial expression. "I need more on Conrad. The judge is on the fence about issuing an arrest warrant. I want his ass behind bars. And I'll let him know tomorrow morning that he no longer had a job here. So any thing he says to you or your team just ignore."

Grissom sighed and removed his glasses.

"I'll see what I can do."

"Thanks."

He was missing something and he knew it. What he had already uncovered, had to be just scratching the surface. As he began more research, Grissom looked up to see Ecklie watching him from the end of the hall. They made eye contact. It was like some weird staring contest as neither wanted to be the first to look away. As the hall filled with people only did they break contact and Ecklie continued on.

Grissom checked his watch and decided to head off to hand out tonight assignment. He took about 10 steps out of his door when he stopped dead in his tracks. Pursing his lips he turned and locked the door behind him. His new companion followed him down the hall.

"Alright. Not much going on tonight, who wants a new case?"

He waived the single sheet in the air.

"What is it?" Catherine asked.

"Ah, I'm not telling, it's a suprise."

"I'll take it." Greg perked up. "I want something new to do."

"Here you go, smash and grab near the strip. Have fun."

Greg took the slip from Grissom and headed out the door nearly colliding with Brass.

"So it's true. I just had to see it with my own eyes."

"See what?" Grissom said with a raised eyebrow.

"Gil Grissom and a dog." he laughed as he left. Then suddenly poked back in. "Hey Gil. What's Ecklie doing trying to get in your office?"

"That son of a bitch." Grissom stormed out followed by Catherine and Brass.

His pace was fast as he approached the unsuspecting Ecklie.

"Can I help you Conrad?"

He jumped dropping the several keys that were in his hand.

"Sorry. I just needed to double check some of these keys."

He turned and walked away as fast as his legs could carry him. Grissom turned when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Gil, what's going on?"

Brass nodded silently asking the same question that Catherine just had. Grissom pursed his lips and motioned for them to follow him. After seating himself behind his desk, Grissom took in a deep breath and slowly let it out.

"What I'm about to say doesn't leave this office. Understood?"

After looking at each other they both answered, "Yes."

"Last week the Sheriff came to me for help. He had circumstantial evidence that Conrad was skimming off the labs funding. I poked around and found some proof. But I need more before a judge will issue an arrest warrant, Ben wants him behind bars. And I think Ecklie has caught on. He can easily access information about what a warrant has been issued for and, I think he knows that I'm on to him. So he's snooping around to see what I know."

"How much money are we talking about here?"

"My estimates are around $14,500. Money that's supposed to go into the lab for new equipment. I'm still digging for more information. Sara has been pestering me to help but, I can't let her. Catherine will you help me?"

"Yeah. What's going to happen if we nail his ass?"

"The sheriff is going to make it worth my while. And I'll make it worth yours."

"Well good luck you two. And if you need me, just let me know." Brass stood and left leaving the two CSI's to their investigating.

After several hours of going through stacks of files about Ecklie's financial history, Catherine stood and stretched, raising her hands high over her head. Grissom looked up and watched her.

"Gil, stop looking."

He shook his head. "I wasn't."

"Spoken like a true man."

"What?"

"Face it. Men can't help but look at a woman's chest when the opportunity arises."

"Maybe most men. But not me."

"Yeah, whatever. So how are you and Sara?"

He glanced up over his glasses and glared at her.

"What? I'm just asking how you two are."

"We're fine."

"Well, then when you two getting hitched?"

He didn't answer, but gave her a warning look, and wisely she headed his warning. Just then Brass barged in.

"Gil, I just overheard on the scanner. P.D. was sent to your place from your alarm company. Possible B&E."

"Conrad."

Grissom sat with Catherine outside his house. Both were itching to get in. The house had already been cleared and Grissom had Nick and Warrick processing inside. Catherine was trying to make small talk.

"Is there anything in there that you or Sara wouldn't want anyone to know about?"

Grissom glared at her, then the hidden message in her statement hit him. He hoped that they wouldn't go through his dresser drawers, as he thought of some of Sara's lingerie and the bottle of personal massaging oil.

With his lack of an answer Catherine spoke.

"I'll take that as a yes. I never figured you for anything kinky."

"There's nothing kinky Catherine. Just some... personal items."

Nick motioned to them.

"Ok, come in and tell me what's out of place."

They each slipped on a pair of latex gloves and entered. Grissom immediately went to his study. The computer was on and Warrick was dusting it for prints. He watched as several appeared.

"Those are probably mine and Sara's. Conrad's not that stupid."

He continued to scan the small room and noticed a picture out of place. What concerned him more was the small page that was ripped off the notepad that sat next to the picture. Grissom lifted the pad remembering what was last written on it. As he remembered, panic overwhelmed him.

"Catherine, call this number. 650-451-5630."

"Why?"

"Just please do it."

She dialed the number and while waiting for an answer she turned on the speaker.

"Hey, Sara." she said.

"Catherine? How did you get this number?"

Grissom spoke up. "Sara, listen to me. I want you on the first plane back to Vegas."

"Grissom I'll be home in a few days."

Catherine translated by just mouthing the words.

"Sara please, please. You need to come home. I don't want to get into the details now, just trust me."

"Give me a good reason to leave my brother so suddenly."

"Damn your pride Sara. I need to know you are safe. Please get on the first flight back as soon as you can."

When he used the word safe, he had her complete attention. But she never responded to it.

"Sara? Are you still there?" Asked Catherine.

"Yeah. I'll let you know when I'll be in."

She tried to hide the slight fear from her voice. But was unsuccessful.

"Thank you. I'll see you soon."

Catherine hung up the phone.

"Way to go Gil."

"What?"

"You scared her. I could hear the fear in her voice. And why is she not safe with her brother."

"The piece of paper that's missing off of this note pad is her brother's address in Tamales Bay."

TBC

Thanks for the many reviews I enjoy reading them all.


	27. Chapter 27

Grissom was asleep on the couch as Catherine moved to her kitchen. He was so exhausted that she had asked Brass to pick up Sara from the airport. She had just started coffee when she heard the front door open.

Catherine came out of the kitchen with a finger over her lips. Brass and Sara heeded her warning and they spoke softly.

"Grissoms asleep on the couch."

"He can't hear Catherine."

"Oh, but he can some. You've been away too long. His hearing is slowly returning. He just got back from the doctor. They fitted him with a special hearing aid to pick up the frequencys that he can't hear yet."

"Are you kidding?" Sara smiled.

Catherine shook her head. "And his companion is sleeping with him."

Sara gave a confused look as Catherine pointed to the living room. Sara and Brass made their way to the front room but stopped when they saw him.

Grissom was laying on his back, both arms crossed over his chest and his legs crossed. It almost looked posed. It put a smile on both of their faces.

"He had refused to sleep until you were back."

"How did you get him to sleep?" Brass asked.

"I slipped him a mickey."

Sara gigled. Then she noticed the dog sleeping on the floor next to the sofa. She turned and looked at Catherine and Jim.

"Nick picked him out and we all pitched in. He is supposed to be yours, but I don't think you will be able to get him away from Gil. They have really bonded the last few days."

Catherine motioned for them to join her in the kitchen. They sat enjoying their coffee when they heard a moan. Sara smiled and left the two of them to rouse Grissom.

She kneeled next to him running her fingers through his hair. He opened his eyes and blinked rapidly to clear them from the fogginess of sleep.

"Your back."

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry I had to cut your visit short."

"It's ok. Brass filled me in. Do you know yet who broke in?"

"I know it was Ecklie. But I can't prove it."

"Why is he doing this?"

"I'm guessing he's got some bad skeletons in his closet that he doesn't want to let out. And he knows I'm digging into his past. The address I had written down of where you were staying was gone. I was afraid he would come after you."

"I'm fine Griss." She leaned forward and kissed him gently. "So, no dog hun?"

"Not my idea. But he's growing on me. His name is Zeke and he's 2 years old."

"He's beautiful." she said as she stroked the long soft hair. "Catherine told me that you can hear more."

"Yeah. Slowly but surely."

Catherine took Sara to retrieve some clothes. The house was still being guarded by an officer. Catherine followed her to back to the bedroom. She looked around as Sara opened the top drawer of the large oak dresser. Catherine noticed something wasn't right as she saw Sara digging through her underwear.

"Sara, what's wrong?"

"It's gone."

"What's gone?"

"Grissoms back up. He kept it here in the drawer. Please tell me he has it or that one of you guys have it."

"No. Grissom kept a back up?"

"I know it sounds weird but he bought it for me after I was fired."

"So who's the gun registered to?"

"Grissom."

"Ok, where is the licence for it?"

"I don't know."

Catherine was quickly on the phone to Brass.

Sara grabbed her things and they drove back to Catherine's house. She beat Catherine through the door in search of Gil. He was at the dining room table with papers and files laid about.

"Gil!" She ran up to him and he quickly embraced her. "The gun's gone. Please tell me you have it."

"No. Are you sure?"

"Positive. Catherine needs to know where the licence is for it."

"It's in the safe."

She released all the air her body possessed in one long sigh.

"Sara, when I bought the gun I took it to the lab. I had Bobby enter a bullet into IBIS. So if it's used in a crime, it's already in the system."

"You think of everything don't you."

Catherine joined them and began to go over the files. Sara noticed that they were about Ecklie and she turned to leave but Grissoms arm stopped her.

"Do you still want to help?"

She smiled and sat down. "So what do you guys have?"

Catherine smiled as Grissom began.

"So far just proof of the money he skimmed. He's been fired. That's why I'm concerned. He's in the wind. Conrad's smarter than we might have anticipated. The sheriff want's to burry him, so we need more."

"Can't he be arrested on what you have?"

"The sheriff can't find a judge gutsy enough. Remember we are trying to put away a public figure. He's been the Lab Director for several years now. So what ever we find, we need it to be relevant. The DA is going to have to solely rely on the evidence."

They began digging through files. None were aware of the time of day until Lindsey walked in.

"Hey mom I'm home."

The trio looked up then to their watches. Lindsey hugged Catherine then moved over to Grissom.

"Hi uncle Gil." She said as she embrace him.

Sara smiled at the exchange.

"Hi Sara. What are you guys doing?"

"Working. Do you have homework?"

"Yeah, physics. I'm no good at it."

Grissom looked over to Sara.

"I can help you if you want Linds."

"Really. That would be awesome. Let me finish writing my research paper then we'll get started."

"Cool."

Catherine and Grissom were prepareing to go back to the lab. It was 6 in the evening and they wanted to present thier findings to the Sheriff.

"Sara, keep Zeke here with you. And stay in. No going out for a run."

"Fine. Catherine are you paying me to babysit then?"

Lindsey spoke up. "Sorry but I'm not a baby, so the term doesn't apply here."

"Sorry, teen-sit?"

"Be careful. Both of you."

"Yes mother." Lindsey and Sara said in unison.

Grissom gave Sara a quick kiss goodbye and left with Catherine.

They sat silently as the Sheriff read over their reports.

"Ok, I'll go to the DA and see what can be done. But it will have to wait until morning."

"Of course."

"Where's your shadow Gil?"

"He's with Sara."

"Yeah. I want to talk to you about some things. How would you like to be the new Lab Director?"

"I would rather be in the field. But I know someone who is more than qualified."

"Really, who?"

"Catherine Willows."

She turned to look at Grissom, her mouth agape.

"She's more than qualified. If it wasn't' for her I wouldn't even get my personnel evaluations in on time."

"I'll take it into consideration. What about Miss Sidle?"

"She told me she wanted to come back to the lab. But I'll have to ask again. She's a great criminalist."

"Let me know. Thank you for your help."

They all shook hands and left.

"Are you sure you don't want to be Director, I mean, this lab revolves around you to start with."

"Catherine, I don't want to be stuck behind a desk. I'm happy where I am."

The night was slow and everyone was going over unsolved cases. The mood was relaxing when Catherine's phone rang once then quit. She looked at the caller ID.

'Home'

Quickly she redialed the number. The busy signal echoed through her ear. She tried again with the same results. Warrick noticed her distress.

"Catherine. Is everything alright?"

"I don't know."

She rose and headed to Grissoms office constantly redialing her home phone number. Each time the same as the last. Panic began to take her over.

"Grissom."

He looked up over his glasses at hearing the concern in her voice.

"My phone rang from my house, and I've been trying to call back but the phone's off the hook."

"I'll drive."

They ran down the hallway and out to the parking lot. Grissom noticed Brass and yelled at him to follow them.

The tires on both vehicles came to a schreeching halt in front of Catherine's house. They all raced to the front door with guns drawn. Brass nudged the front door open with his elbow and Catherine followed her gun raised. Grissom was last. He was the only one with out a gun.

Signs of a struggle had taken place. Lamps, books, even the couch was tipped over. Brass came out of the hall.

"No one's here."

"Sara and Lindsey were here." Catherine began to call Lindsey's name in search of her.

Grissom followed a small blood trail out the open patio door. He heard Brass calling for uniforms and request Nick, Warrick, and Greg out to the house. He shined his light into the grass hoping to follow the trail of blood. Brass joined him in his search. They followed the blood through the fence into the neighboring yard. It lead them onto the sidewalk of the next street up.

Brass radioed for a car to follow them and within minutes one was following them. Grissom kept his torch on the ground following the evidence. After a few minutes he noticed the source of the blood trail.

"Jesus Christ."

Grissom took off running and Brass quickly followed.

"Zeke!"

The injured dog stopped and laid down waiting for Grissom to catch up.

"Damn Gil. He's been shot."

"The question is, where is he going?"

TBC

Thanks for all your reviews. I have one more chapter planned unless I think of more.


	28. Chapter 28

Ok this is it last chapter. I hope it's a happy enough ending to ya'll.

* * *

Grissom was holding his hand over the dogs wound when Warrick showed up.

"Griss, Nick and Greg are processing the house. Oh man."

"Warrick keep heading down this road til you get to an intersection with traffic cameras."

"I know the rest." and he quickly headed off.

Brass used his tie as a tourniquet on Zeke's leg. Grissom picked him up and got in the back of the police car with Brass.

"Stop by my truck, I need my kit."

As the officer took Grissom to an emergency animal clinic, Grissom processed his dog. Taking swabs of blood from his muzzle, and inside his mouth.

He left Zeke and his contact information, then headed back to Catherine's house. Just as he arrived Brass announced that Warrick had a lead on the vehicle used to take Sara and Lindsey. Grissom gave his swabs to Greg.

"I want you to go to the lab right now and run these."

Greg headed out without question. Grissom and Catherine followed Brass as they started heading in the direction that Warrick was pointing them in. Catherine was squirming in the passenger seat.

"Who could have done this Gil?"

"My guess, Ecklie. He's got nothing to loose. He knows he's been caught."

Catherine began sobbing at the thought of never seeing her daughter again.

Brass pulled into an area with several warehouses. According to the traffic video Warrick was going over, this was the last sighting of the car. Brass drove around several buildings then noticed a small illuminated window coming from one of the buildings. He called for back up and exited his car. Grissom and Catherine were close behind. This time Grissom was armed.

They moved to the door. Brass led the entry. The sheer size of the building overwhelmed them and they were forced to split up.

Catherine came to a door that hid the lighted room beyond it. She slowly opened the door and at the sight of her daughter bound and blindfolded in a chair next to Sara, she ran to them.

"Lindsey. Sara. Hold on. I'm getting you out of here." Then began to remove their restraints.

"Catherine."

The chilling voice made her blood run cold as she turned to face Ecklie. He held Grissoms stolen gun at her.

"I was just about to leave. But you guys are just too quick."

"Can it. Your finished. So just give it up now while you can."

"Sorry, I'll just have to kill you."

He raised the gun.

"Conrad."

He hesitated before he turned. Quickly he spun to the direction the voice came from.

Several shots rang out. Ecklie fell to the ground. And Catherine looked through the dark to see Grissom emerge through the smoke from his gun. He approached the body still pointing his gun as if he might jump back to life requiring several more bullets.

Catherine turned and freed Sara and Lindsey. She collapsed on the ground, her daughter in her arms. Sara ran to Grissom and he enveloped her in his.

"He killed Zeke. When I was fighting with him Zeke attacked him, so he shot him."

"Sara. He's still alive. And he's the one who pointed us in the right direction." he squeezed her tighter. "I'm just glad your safe and this is over."

They both looked down at Ecklie's body when Brass joined them.

"Who shot?"

"I did." Grissom said as he held out his gun by the handle.

The next week flew by as interviews and internal affairs sorted through the testimony of that fateful night.

Catherine was awarded the position of Lab Director, while Grissom remained night shift supervisor. The team was throwing her a congratulations party on her official last night as a CSI. Everyone was present except Gil. Heck, even Sara was there with her wounded body guard in tow.

She found him in his office rummaging through papers.

"Gil?"

He looked up. His hearing wasn't totally restored, but with the help of a new set of hearing aids he could hear near perfection.

"Sorry, I'll be there in a second. I'm just filling out some papers for the new director to file."

"What kind of papers?"

"Well, your position will need to be filled, and I have another open slot as well."

"Gil, Sara can have her job back."

"She doesn't want it. She's going to take some classes at UNLV, get her masters, and in eight months be a stay at home mom."

Catherine's eyes lit up as she quickly moved around the desk to attempt to squeeze the life out of him.

"Are you guys sure?"

He nodded. "Came from the doctors this afternoon. She's nearly five weeks."

"Congratulations." And she squeezed him again.

They headed to the break room and Sara could tell by the look on Catherine's face that Gil had told her. He moved up behind her and she cleared her throat to get everyone's attention.

"I just wanted to tell you guys that I'm not going to be returning to the lab." She raised her hands to stop the protests. "I'm going to take a few classes and stay at home to raise our baby."

At that moment Grissom put his arms around her abdomen in a protective manner and kissed her cheek. Everyone squealed with delight and offered the two well wishes.

Then it was Grissoms turn to steal the spot light.

"I know that this is a party for Catherine."

"And now it's a baby party as well." someone spoke up.

"Well I always say the more the merrier so let's make this an engagement party as well." He kneeled before Sara and she choked out a breath. "Sara Sidle, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

The room fell deathly silent waiting for the reply. All eyes were on her and she could feel everyone of them. From the moment he kneeled to the ground she lost her voice. So with tears in her eyes, she nodded and a harsh sounding 'yes' came out.

Grissom stood and took her in his arms as everyone cheered. More well wishes were given to the couple as the celebration continued.

Things went on as normal as normal was for the Las Vegas Crime Lab. Grissom found his new CSI's, and once again took their blood. Only this time Catherine had made him put it in the application if they were willing to donate blood. It never said what for, but she knew that she needed to continue to cover his ass.

The End

_I think this is a good stopping point. Thanks to the people who reviewed. They were all great. Hope you are having a happy and safe 2007._


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